Leaders in the field | Engaging Places

Anthea Hartig, the new executive director of the California Historical Society

Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, most recently the director of the Western Regional Office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has been appointed as the executive director of the California Historical Society (CHS). Hartig is one of the nation’s leaders in public history and historic preservation (just a few months ago she was named, “California Preservationist of the Year”), making this a big gain for CHS and a major loss for the National Trust.

“We have truly found the right chief executive for the 21st Century,” CHS Board President Thomas R. Owens offered, “Anthea’s deep and varied experience as an historian and non-profit leader is the perfect fit for making this venerable organization relevant and successful.”

“As a third-generation Californian, Continue reading →

Long-time museum leader and scholar of the material culture of the Chesapeake region, Barbara G. Carson died on Friday, October 21. She suffered bravely from milofibrosis for more than twenty years and seldom complained. Her many contributions to the field included Ambitious Appetites: Dining, Behavior, and Patterns of Consumption in Federal Washington (one of best around and now hard to find), essays in the Journal of Museum Education (which continue to be reprinted), a training video for AASLH on learning from objects (a very early effort to provide training to the field using the new VHS technology), and consultation to such nationally significant sites as Gunston Hall and the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg. She was also an active teacher and speaker, starting at Continue reading →