Director of Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University
Director of Appalachian Studies minor at ETSU

• B.A. Appalachian Studies, Berea College, 1998
• M.A. Appalachian Studies, Appalachian State University, 2001

How has your degree served you professionally?
“Before moving to Tennessee I worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) for five years in their Collections Department, Registration Department and finally in the Curatorial Department.  It was an opportunity of a lifetime and working with American Indian people from all over the Western Hemisphere was a priceless spiritual and educational experience.”

“When I took the position as the Director of the Reece Museum I was able to combine my two passions: museum management and Appalachian Studies.  People come into the museum and they entrust me with their honored possessions—their grandmother’s handmade crazy quilt, a family bible, civil war items.  Whatever it may be, they leave it for me to care for.  Then, I get to use those items to tell the history and the stories of Appalachia.  I also get to show how Appalachian Culture is still evolving and living through exhibiting contemporary art by regional artists.  My job is to demonstrate how important our culture has been in the development of our nation and our world.  When I see students and visitors realize for the first time that who they are and where they are from is valid, important, and significant, it brings me an indescribable satisfaction.  A museum is more than an institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects.  In the best circumstances, I believe a museum is a living connection between generations, a place where scholarship, curiosity, and community pride intersect.”

Why Appalachian Studies?
“Being a native of Lee County, Virginia, I grew up loving the mountains, the music, the stories I heard, and the people.  I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful with my life, but I didn’t know what.  When I was accepted to Berea College I read about the Appalachian Cultural Museum and I wrote the curator to tell her I was interested in working there.  At Berea I considered studying agriculture, history, or education, but none of those options seemed right for me.  I began taking Appalachian Studies courses as electives and fell in love with the discipline.  On the second day of my summer course “Appalachian Politics” I went to the professor, Gordon McKinney, after class and told him I wanted to major in Appalachian Studies.  He told me that Berea did not offer a major in Appalachian Studies but he worked with me on a proposal and a course plan for an Independent Major.  Many people asked me what was I going to do with a degree in Appalachian Studies and honestly, I didn’t really know.  I just knew that I had to follow my heart, and I’ve never regretted the decision.”

“I feel that I am, in a way, a story teller and a keeper of history and tradition.  I’m a historian, an anthropologist, a fund-raiser, an event planner, an educator, and an interior designer all at one time, and I love it.  The road that Appalachian Studies has paved for me has been surprising and sometimes difficult, but it has always been rewarding.  Appalachian Studies makes my heart and my soul feel good and complete.”