Educators and Interpreters

About Us

The Educators and Interpreters Community

AASLH’s Educators & Interpreters Community addresses the needs of educators and interpreters in history museums and history organizations as they seek to increase appreciation of community history.

The Educators and Interpreters Community is committed to helping paid and unpaid history professionals create quality educational programming and experiences. By promoting best practices, sharing resources, and providing opportunities to network, the community creates a foundation upon which all professionals can build and grow as they explore museum and informal learning, educational theory, and interpretive techniques.

The Educators & Interpreters Committee primary goals are to:

Seek out and promote quality education and interpretation content for AASLH Annual Meetings, webinars, workshops, and resources.
Promote education and interpretation best practices by using AASLH resources, including publications, books, and Technical Leaflets.
Provide opportunities for networking and resource sharing through the use of social media and posts on the AASLH blog.

Committee

Educators and Interpreters Committee

Sally Meyer, Chair (Oct. 2023- Sept. 2025)
Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence, RI
smeyer@rihs.org

Samantha Alberts (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2023)
San Diego History Center, San Diego, CA
skwalberts@gmail.com

René A. Ballesteros (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Latinos in Heritage Conservation, Edinburg, TX
rene@latinoheritage.us

Matthew Blazek (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2024)
History Live! North East, Union, ME
execdirectorhistorylivene@gmail.com

Heather Bruegl (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2023)
The Henry Ford, Dearborn, MI
hbruegl2014@gmail.com

Chris Cook (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, LA
ccook@crt.la.gov

Rich Cooper (Oct. 2020-Sept. 2024)
Levine Museum of the New South, Charlotte, NC

Jenn Edginton (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2023)
Illinois State Museum, Springfield, IL
jenn.edginton@illinoisstatemuseum.org

Bethany Hrachovec (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, IN
bhrachovec@indianahistory.org

Melanie Holland (Oct. 2019-Sept. 2022)
Monticello, Charlottesville, VA
mholland@monticello.org

Samantha Hunter-Gibbs (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
White House Historical Association, Washington, D.C.
huntersamanthae@gmail.com

Meredith Leonard (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2025)
Hamilton Civic Museums, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
meredith.leonard@hamilton.ca

Michele Longo (Oct. 2022-Sept. 2024)
Office of Historic Alexandria, VA
Michele.Longo@alexandriava.gov

William Lopez (Oct. 2023-Sept. 2025)
Brinton Museum, Bighorn, WY
wlopez@thebrintonmuseum.org

Carla Mello (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2025)
Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH
cmello@ohiohistory.org

Elisabeth Nevins (Oct. 2021-Sept. 2025)
Seed Education Consulting, Boston, MA
enevins@seed-ed.com

AASLH Staff Contact
Aja Bain
abain@aaslh.org
615-320-3203

Google Group

Connect with educators and interpreters across the country who are working in history organizations with the AASLH Educators and Interpreters Google Group. Ask questions, share resources, and stay in touch with the field. To join, click the Ask to Join Group button.