Office of State History

As New York State Historian, my duties are twofold; to help provide support and coordination to the historical field, including local historians, academic historians, and historical societies and museums; as well as to conduct research on various topics relevant to New York State history and the New York State Museum.

During my previous time as Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY) I worked with historical organizations from across the State and was constantly amazed by the work being done by local historians of all kinds.  My current position enables me to seek ways to compliment and assist these local historians.

Previous to working with MANY I spent several years working in the New York State Assembly for the Chair of the Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development Committee.  In this position I was heavily involved in several policy areas related to the historical field and was Staff Coordinator for the Historic-Hudson Hoosic Rivers Partnership, a public benefit organization created by an act of the Legislature in 2006 with the purpose of protecting and promoting the historical resources in the region around the Saratoga National Historical Park.  

My experience also includes time spent as a Project Archivist at the SUNY Albany M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives where I worked with the Labor Union collection on the CSEA union’s A Century of Service: The Story of CSEA’s First Hundred Years, 1910-2010 book project.  Previous to that, I spent time at the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Bureau of Historic Sites Interpretive Unit where I worked on interpretive sign topics ranging from the seiche phenomenon on Lake Erie to the French and Indian War battle that gave Battle Island State Park its name.  And, as an independent historian, I have published extensively in scholarly publications on the 1960s-era Millbrook Commune located in Dutchess County, NY. 

As State Historian I will be working on a broad range of New York State historical topics, including public policy, social, labor, and cultural history.