City Historian & Director of Historical Services

• Oct 2008 - Present

As the officially appointed municipal historian for the City of Rochester, NY, I research and write about the history of the city within the context of U.S. and global history; respond to citizen inquiries; advise government officials on matters involving historical records, artifacts, and sites; and serve as liaison to the city's many cultural heritage institutions, including the Rochester Museum & Science Center, which manages city-owned artifacts and archives, where I serve on the Collections Committee. At the library, I serve as director of the Monroe County Historian's Office and manage all aspects of operation of the Local History & Genealogy Division of the library, including its Special Collections and digitization program. I oversee a staff of 12 to 15 people. I am a successful grant writer who has helped to raise more than $1 million for City and library initiatives during my tenure. This included funding for the Walter F. Becker Digital History Center, which has turned the Local History & Genealogy Division into a dynamic space where library patrons can use state-of-the art digital equipment to scan and preserve their own family archives and collaborate with others to develop their own historical narratives. Show less

News Reporter

• 1996 - 2001