Telling Inclusive Stories through Oral Histories

Dr. Fiona Vernal is the Director of Engaged, Public, Oral, and Community Histories (EPOCH) and Associate Professor of History and Africana Studies at the University of Connecticut.  Through (EPOCH), Dr Vernal’s work integrates research, teaching, and scholarship in broader public engagement and capacity-building for museums, school, libraries, historical societies and community organizations

Kate Schramm is the Director of Cultural Sustainability at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, the state’s official historical society and home for folk and traditional arts support. She works collaboratively with communities to document, present, and sustain their heritage arts, conducting and directing fieldwork, overseeing and assisting the Southern New England Apprenticeship Program in traditional arts, co-curating museum exhibits, developing public programming, developing and administering grants, teaching, and publishing.

Lyle Cairdeas, is the Exhibitions and Collections Manager at the Mattatuck Museum. Prior to joining the Mattatuck Museum, Lyle was the Manager of the Community History Project at the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History, where he trained college students to document stories from Connecticut residents about impactful changes that shaped who they are today. He has been working at a variety of universities and museums settings across the U.S. for over 10 years in roles as a folklorist, project manager, exhibits coordinator, and collections manager.