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Bringing Federal History to the Public During America's 250th Anniversary

2026 ANNUAL MEETING

Thursday, May 14 — Friday, May 15, 2026

Registration is now open!


Library of Congress
James Madison Memorial Building
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20540


Bringing Federal History to the Public During America's 250th Anniversary

Anniversaries offer an opportunity to reflect on the past and consider what the future might bring. With the semiquincentennial of the United States, federal historians and allied professionals are uniquely positioned to offer insights, reflections, analysis and understanding, as well as to consider the current context of its celebration, and what issues future federal historians may face.

Federal history practitioners will be celebrating the 250th anniversary through myriad projects and programs. The raised profile of this event brings with it an opportunity for a fresh framework on public history, to highlight the relevance and importance of federal history, and for outreach and deeper connection to a wide range of audiences. How are practitioners bringing federal history to the public now? What research and resources on federal history have risen to attention in light of the 250th anniversary?

Thursday, May 14

8:15 am

Registration Opens (Light Breakfast)

 Dining Room C

9:00-10:30 am

Session 1: Plenary



Montpelier Room



10:30-10:45 am

BREAK

10:45 am -12:15 pm

Session 2 

Panel 1

Montpelier Room

Into the Wild Blue Yonder: Innovations in Air Force History at the Joint Base Andrews Air Show roundtable

Dr. Sarah Barksdale, 316th Wing History Office

Meaghan Kacmarcik, 316th Wing History Office

Panel 2

Dining Room A

If a Record Is Created, but No One Can See It, Does It Even Exist?

Moderator: Alison Trulock, Office of Art and Archives, US House of Representatives

Fragmented Records, Fragmented Trust: Legal Information Systems and Public Perception at 250, Abigail Coupe, Montana Historical Society

From Custody to Access: Preparing Federal History for Future Researchers, Kimberley Blanke, New South Associates-Veterans Curation Program

Bringing Classified Federal History to the Public -- Confessions of a Former Records Declassifier, Michael Binder, MILSITE RECON

Panel 3

West Dining Room

Tracking Congress in All Directions

Moderator: Felicia Wivchar, U.S. House of Representatives

Maintaining a Living Resource: The Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress 

Josh Litten, Office of the House Historian,

Kevin Twohig, Office of the House Historian

Amelia Frappolli, Office of the House Historian

U.S. Congressional Foresight: Revisiting History and Contemporary Practice,

Yuna Lee, University College London

12:15-1:45 pm

LUNCH BREAK


SHFG BUSINESS MEETING

Dining Room A

1:45-3:15 pm

Session 3

Panel 4


Federal History Programs Celebrate Freedom 250: A Roundtable Discussion

Moderator: Breanne Robertson, Naval History and Heritage Command

Writing the Corps at 250: Marine Corps History Division and Official History, Seth Givens, Marine Corps History Division

Celebrating 250 Years of Interagency Collaboration: A Concise History of USMC Support for the Department of State, Benjamin P. Greene, U.S. Department of State

Commemorating Centuries of Service: How the U.S. Army helped shape America, F. Lee Reynolds, U.S. Army Center of Military History 

Jumping on the Freedom 250 Bandwagon, Jeffrey Seiken, Department of Veterans Affairs 

Navy 250 and the Museum Challenge: Planning, Pauses, and Progress, Rajshree Solanki, National Museum of the United States Navy 


Panel 5



Hidden Histories - Recovering the Remarkable from the Archives

The Good Ship Lollipop Meets the Jayhawks, David Goldman, Independent Scholar

Harry K. Fukuhara and the U.S.-Japan Relationship from War to Peace, Shannon Granville, U.S. Army Center of Military History

Journals of H.P. Corbin, Engineer of the International Boundary Commission (1914-1922), Mark Howe, United States Section, International Boundary and Water Commission


Panel  6

The Power of Historical Leverage: The Impact of Historical Interpretation at Critical Junctures in Government

Historians and Amicus Briefs: Providing Historical Context to the Courts, Alexandra Levy, American Historical Association

Congressional Briefings: Equipping Congressional Staff with Historical Knowledge, Ben Rosenbaum, American Historical Association

Executive Orders: Challenging Historical Interpretation at the State and Local Levels, Whitney E. Barringer, American Historical Association


 


3:15-3:30 pm

BREAK

3:30-5:00 pm

Awards Ceremony and Trask Lecture

Montpelier Room


5:00-7:00 pm

Reception

Montpelier Room, Dining Room C





Friday, May 15

8:15 am

Registration Opens (Light Breakfast)

 Mumford Room

9:00-10:30 am

Session 4

Panel 7

Mumford Room

Workshop: “Where’s the SecDef? Forging Pathways into

Neglected OSD Archival Records”    

Joel Christenson, Virginia Military Institute

Allen Mikaelian, Independent Scholar

Panel 8

Dining Room A

ADST’s Outreach to New Audiences of our Established

Diplomatic Oral History Archive: Meeting New Users

Where they Are roundtable

A Diplomat From My Hometown Did WHAT?!?,Tom Selinger,

Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training 

What's that book of funny excerpts you can't put down?,

Robin Matthewman, Association for Diplomatic Studies and

Training   

Tensions Spiraling - Who Ya Gonna Call? Negot[AI]tor!,

Fran Leskovar, Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training


Panel 9

West Dining Room


Inspired by the Revolution – Reflecting on and

Celebrating America 250 

Medical Revolutions at the National Library of Medicine,

Ben Richardson, National Library of Medicine

Celebrating America 250 through Library of Congress

Publications, Zach Klitzman, Library of Congress


10:30- 10:45 am

BREAK

10:45 am- 12:15 pm

Session 5

Panel 10

Mumford Room

Can There Be Too Many Anniversaries? The Office of

NIH History and Stetten Museum on Crafting

Commemorations

Gabrielle Barr, Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum

Haley Higingbotham, Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum

Devon Valera, Office of NIH History and Stetten Museum







 

Panel 11

West Dining Room

Modernizing the Production of the Foreign Relations of

the United States (FRUS)

Moderator: Julie Prieto, Office of the Historian, Department of

State

Participants: Matt Reagan, Office of the Historian, Department

of State

Nicole Orphanides, Office of the Historian, Department of State

Joseph Wicentowski, Office of the Historian, Department of State

Kathleen Rasmussen, Office of the Historian, Department of

State


12:15-2:00 pm

LUNCH BREAK/ Tour of Spirit of '76, US Capitol Visitor


2:00-3:30pm

Session 6


Panel 12
Mumford Room

Securing the Naval Record: From World War II to the

Digital Age  

A Lifetime of Naval Service: The Extraordinary Career of

Barbara Gilmore and the Founding of the Navy’s Operational

Archives, Dr. Samuel Limneos, Naval History and Heritage

Command

Archival Debt – Tackling NHHC’s Archival Debt Through

Appraisal and Transfer of Records from Navy Archives to NARA,

Ms. Sarah Schubert, Naval History and Heritage Command

Enhancing Data Integrity in Naval Records,

Ms.Alexis Van Pool, Naval History and Heritage Command


Panel 13

Dining Room A 

Institutional Histories: Discovering and Preserving

Federal Fair Employment Policy in the Texas Aircraft

Manufacturing Industry during the 1950s, Joseph Abel, National

Air and Space Museum

The Creation of HUD and Quo Vadis (whither thous goes

today/tomorrow...), Kent Watkins, American Academy of Housing and Communities

NOAA Voices: Preserving Environmental Knowledge Before

It Disappears, Molly Graham, NOAA Voices

The Smithsonian: A Political History, Michael McGregor,

Administration for Children and Families (HHS)



Panel 14

West Dining Room

Using Legal Resources in Government History

Moderator: Christine Lamberson, Federal Judicial Center

Winston Bowman , Federal Judicial Center

Carla Chung Mattix, Department of Interior (retired)

Daniel S. Holt, U.S. Senate

John Fox, Federal Bureau of Investigation

 

 






           

Society for History in the Federal Government 
shfg.primary@gmail.com
PO BOX 14139
Ben Franklin Station, Washington, DC 20044

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