The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is proud to announce the winners of three scholarship programs for the 2023 AASLH Annual Conference.

Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko Memorial Scholarship
Cinnamon Catlin-Legutko will be best remembered because she used her power to change lives, inspire movements, and challenge the status quo for the better. In memory of Cinnamon and her generational impact on museums, historic sites, and public history, AASLH has created a special scholarship in her name to advance her legacy of transformational change across the museum community. In 2023, the fund is supporting five $1,000 scholarships for the Annual Conference. Recipients are those working in small museums, as either full-time or part-time paid or volunteer employees and who are institutional or individual members of AASLH; and Indigenous persons and those employed as staff members with a tribal organization, program, or collection.

For 2023, the following individuals were chosen for the scholarship:

  • Bryanna Ellis, Museum Administrator & Program Coordinator, Bonner County Historical Society & Museum, Sandpoint, Idaho
  • James Joseph Flores, Tribal Liaison, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • William Lopez, Museum Educator, The Brinton Museum, Sheridan, Wyoming
  • Izabela Pieniadz, Executive Director, Ellwood House Association, DeKalb, Illinois
  • Bryanna Weaver, Exhibition Research Intern, Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee, North Carolina

Douglas Evelyn Scholarship for Minority Professionals
These scholarships are named in honor of Douglas Evelyn, AASLH president from 1992-1994, and recognizes Evelyn’s strong support of AASLH’s professional development mission. A primary objective of the Douglas Evelyn Scholarships is to increase culturally diverse participation at the AASLH Annual Conference and in all of the association’s programs. The scholarships include the Annual Conference registration fee, a one-year individual membership in AASLH, and $700 toward travel and hotel expenses.

For the 2023, six scholarship winners were selected:

  • Olivia Chaudhury, Ph.D. Candidate, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
  • Laura Jones, Curator and Archivist, Grand County Historical Association, Steamboat Springs, Colorado
  • Jeff May, Chief Administrative Officer, San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum, San Antonio, Texas
  • Donna Rae Pearson, Assistant Curator, Kansas Historical Society, Museum Division, Topeka, Kansas
  • Alyssa Vargas-Lopez, Museum Services Administrator, Pueblo City-County Library District, Pueblo, Colorado
  • Terri L. White, President and CEO, Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte, North Carolina

Small Museums Scholarships
AASLH’s Small Museums Committee offers scholarships to any AASLH members who are full-time, part-time, paid, or volunteer employees of small museums. The $850 scholarship covers the cost of registration. Any remaining funds can be used to offset travel and/or lodging expenses. To qualify, the applicant must work for a museum with a budget of $250,000 or less and either be an individual member of AASLH or work for an institutional member.

For 2023, four scholarship winners were selected:

  • Emily Bentley, Kanab City Museum, Kanab, Utah
  • Robert Becker, The Keizer Heritage Museum, Keizer, Oregon
  • Beth Anne S. Payne, The Dudley Farm Museum, Guilford, Connecticut
  • Faith Walker, The Great Bend Museum, Ravenswood, West Virginia

Congratulations to all the winners! Registration is open for the conference. Click these buttons to learn more: