The American Association for State and Local History is pleased to announce the winners of our fellowships and scholarships for the 2024 Annual Conference in Mobile, Alabama.

AASLH thanks all the donors who make these financial assistance programs possible. We appreciate how the national history community comes together to support their peers. If you’d like to support these programs, go to our Donation page and make a contribution to our Annual Fund or the Catlin-Legutko Memorial Fund.

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 created a special scholarship in her name to advance her legacy of transformational change across the museum community. The fund provides one $1,000 scholarship for the AASLH Annual Conference which includes a full conference registration plus travel funds. Eligible applicants include 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.

This year’s recipient is Diego Velasquez, Marketing and Membership Coordinator, The Moab Museum, Moab, Utah.

Douglas Evelyn Diversity Fellowship

The Douglas Evelyn Diversity Fellowship is 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 Diversity Fellowship is to increase culturally diverse participation at the AASLH Annual Conference and in all the association’s programs. The scholarship covers full registration and $750 travel stipend.

In 2024, AASLH is awarding five conference scholarships to culturally diverse attendees:

Renė A. Ballesteros, Development Manager, Latinos in Heritage Conservation, Edinburg, Texas
Joan Katherine Lillian, Museum Tour Guide, West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, Louisiana
Valerie Mendoza, Principal, Other Roads Consulting, Topeka, Kansas
Anna Santos, History Teacher, Somerville High School, Somerville, Massachusetts
Helen Wong Smith, Archivist for University Records, University of Hawaii at Mãnoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

Small Museums Scholarship

The AASLH Small Museums Committee is awarding four scholarships to AASLH members who are full-time, part-time, paid, or volunteer employees of small museums. The $850 scholarship will cover the cost of registration for the conference and the Small Museums Luncheon. Any remaining funds can be used to offset travel and/or lodging expenses. To qualify, the applicant must work or volunteer 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.

2024 recipients are:

Kristi Brown, Director, LLSC Center for Arts and History, Lewiston, Idaho
Grace Bryan, Historic Events Manager, Somerville Museum, Somerville, MA
Beverley Elliott, Executive Director, African American Museum of Southern Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
Jonathan Scott, Cultural Heritage Director, City of Winterville, Winterville, Georgia