Education
Ph.D. in History (2016), Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
Major Field, U.S. History Since 1865
Minor Fields in Latin American History and U.S. War and Society
Dissertation: “The Best of Friends and Neighbors: U.S. Public Diplomacy in Cuba, 1953-1961”
Certificate in Archival Studies (2011), Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
M.A. in History (2006), University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida
Emphasis in Public History
B.S. in History and Political Science (1998), Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida

Teaching and Research Interests / Recent Publications or Scholarly Output
Areas of academic interest include U.S. History Since 1865, U.S. Cold War History, U.S. Diplomatic History, Latin American History, and Public History.

Recent Scholarly Projects and Exhibits:

Coastal African American Historic Preservation Commission Exhibit, 2024
•“More than a Classroom: Segregated Education in Brunswick”

Newcastle Street Revitalization Project, 2023
•Through a fellowship awarded by the College of Coastal Georgia, conducted a series of oral history interviews of local government officials and business owners important to the revitalization of Newcastle Street in Downtown Brunswick. Using these oral histories, along with archival research, developed a digital story map of the history of the topic, highlighting significant projects and initiatives associated with the history of the downtown revitalization.

Coastal Georgia Funeral Programs Digitization Project, 2022
•Working with students, digitized almost two dozen funeral programs of local African Americans and placed their programs online for public viewing. The funeral programs project will be useful for future genealogical research.

Marshes of Glynn Libraries Oral History Project, 2022
•With assistance from students, conducted an oral history project with former staff of the Marshes of Glynn Library to document the organization’s history.

Forward Brunswick “Liberty Brunswick” Project, 2021
•Served as a member of the organization’s “Story Team” to develop historical narratives related to the Brunswick Shipyard in operation during WWII for Forward Brunswick’s effort to plant 99 trees in honor of the ships constructed in the yard during the war. Narratives will be featured with newly planted trees on selected sites around the city.

Gullah – Geechee Archives (Working Title), 2021
•Serve as Co-Chair of a nascent committee tasked with developing a strategy to establish a repository for African American historical materials related to the Brunswick, Georgia, region.

Glynn Environmental Coalition Oral History, 2021
•Conducted oral history interviews of member of the Glynn Environmental Coalition to document organizational history of the group.

Risley High School Digitization Project, 2021
•With the aid of students, digitized photographic collection and historical materials related to the segregated Risley High School in Brunswick, Georgia, to help preserve the history of the school.
•Uploaded digital scans of photographs and materials to an online database to allow public access to the collection.

College of Coastal Georgia Student Veterans Oral History Project, 2020
•Served as the coordinator for a series of interviews between students and College of Coastal Georgia student-veterans, monitoring the interviews and assisting students as they conducted their oral histories.

Brunswick African American Cultural Center Oral History Project, 2020
•With assistance from students, conducted oral history project on the Brunswick, Georgia, African American Community, focusing on events and experiences from the 1950s to the 1970s. Topics include the local Civil Rights Movement, segregation and desegregation of local educational and recreational facilities, and documenting the historically Black neighborhoods of the city.

RECENT PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

Society of Georgia Archivists:, 2024
•Virtual Video Presentation: “The Benefits and Challenges of Using Undergraduate Interns in Local Archives”

Georgia Association of Historians, 2024
•Paper Presentation: “The Newcastle Street Revitalization Oral History Project”

Digital Library of Georgia Workshop, 2023:
•Virtual Presentation: “The Value of Preserving the Past for Students and the Community”

Conference on the Americas Council Annual Conference, 2023
•Paper Presentation: “Stressing Progress: The US Information Agency’s Effort to Explain Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement in the US to the Cuban Public in the 1950s”

Society of Georgia Archivists Annual Conference, 2022
•Paper Presentation: Preserving Local History with the Help of Undergraduate Research

Coastal Scholars Showcase, 2022
•Paper Presentation: “The Value of Local History to Students and the Community”

Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Annual Conference, 2020 (Meeting canceled due to COVID-19)
•Paper Presentation: “The Meat in the Political Sandwich: Promoting Science, Technology, and Culture in the USIA’s Public Diplomacy Message in Cuba, 1953-1960.”

Recent Community Presentations:

Coastal Georgia Historical Society Brunswick Lecture Series, 2025
•Paper Presentation “Brunswick’s New Deal”

Friends of Jekyll Island Presentation, 2025
•Paper Presentation: “Jekyll Island’s Entertainment Venues in the Early State Period”

Marshes Edge Presentation Community Presentation, 2024
•Paper Presentation: “Prelude to Crisis: US Aerial Reconnaissance Over Cuba Prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis”

Coastal Georgia Historical Society Brunswick Lecture Series, 2024
•Paper Presentation: “By God I’m Going to Brazil: The 1927 Paul Redfern Flight”

Jekyll Island MOSAIC Museum Guest Lecture, 2024
•Paper Presentation: “Jekyll Island’s Entertainment Venues in the Early State Period”

Coastal Georgia Historical Society Brunswick Lecture Series, 2023
•Multimedia Presentation: “The Risley School: Creating Community in a Segregated City”