Doing History in Polarized Times - Day 2 / Session 2 - Supporting History Practitioners in Polarized Times

Ben Garcia (he/him) has worked for 20 years to help museums become places of welcome and belonging for all people. He started as a gallery guide and educator, moved on to exhibition development, and then served in middle- and upper-management administrative roles, before joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum as Executive Director. He has presented and published regularly on creating structural equity in museums through transparency, accountability, fair labor practices, and by adding missing voices and perspectives. Ben graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in Art and from Bank Street College of Education with an M.S. Ed. In Museum Leadership. 

Linnea Grim joined Strawbery Banke in 2023 after most recently serving as the vice president of Guest Experiences for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, a private nonprofit that owns and operates Monticello, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Grim has 23 years of experience working in leadership positions at nationally relevant historic sites, history organizations, and in the Office of the Curator at the Supreme Court of the United States. She spent the last 16 years at Monticello serving as Hunter J. Smith Director of Education & Visitor Programs and Manager of Interpretive Programs prior to joining Monticello’s executive team in 2021. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from The College of William and Mary, and a Master’s degree in history museum studies from The Cooperstown Graduate Program.

Nicole A. Moore is a public historian and consultant with over a decade of museum experience. Her passion has been helping historic sites and museums strengthen their interpretation of the enslaved through workshops and training sessions, interpretive planning, and exhibition review. In her current role, Nicole serves as the Director of Education at the National Center for Civil Rights in Atlanta,  leading a multi-year expansion of educational content developed by and for The Center.  Engaging audiences  that range from K-12, to Fortune 500 C-suite executives and professional sports teams, Nicole urges groups to seek ways to protect the civil and human rights of all. Her publications include chapters for Interpreting Slavery and Interpreting the Civil War for Museums and Historic Sites, as well as Radical Roots: Public History and a Tradition of Social Justice Activism. A proud Charlotte 49er, Nicole received her BA in Psychology, and MA in History with a concentration in Public History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Rick Noguchi is the President and CEO of California Humanities, the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the humanities in California. Previously, Rick served as the chief operating officer at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) in Los Angeles, where he led the strategic direction of the museum and oversaw programs, development, and communications. He has an MFA in creative writing and an MBA in organizational development and he is a published poet (The Ocean Inside Kenji Takezo), children’s book author (Flowers from Mariko), and an avid surfer.