The morning’s program will feature a lecture by Ann Lucas, Senior Historian Emerita of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello followed by a panel discussion, “What We Built: The History of the TJF from Three Different Perspectives." 

This panel will be moderated by Susan Stein, Richard Gilder Senior Curator, Special Projects, Thomas Jefferson Foundation and feature comments from Niya Bates, Former Director of African American History and the Getting Word African American Oral History Project; Gary Sandling, Former TJF Vice President of Strategy & Content, and Douglas L. Wilson, Founding Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello.

After lunch, the conference resumes with a presentation by Susan Kern, Associate Professor and Director of the Historic Preservation Program at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at the University of Maryland, followed by the panel discussion, “What we’re Building: The Present and Future of the TJF from Three Different Perspectives.” 

The panel will feature current TJF staff, including Chad Wollerton, Director of Digital Media and Strategy; Andrew Davenport, Public Historian and Director of Getting Word African American Oral History Project; and Stephen Light, Interim Vice President of Guest Experiences, Education, and Visitor Programs, moderated by Endrina Tay, Fiske and Marie Kimball Librarian.

Bill Barker, First-person Thomas Jefferson Interpreter, Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Niya Bates, former Director of African American History and the Getting Word African American Oral History Project, at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Niya will share how and why the Getting Word African American Oral History Project was founded.

Leslie Greene Bowman, President Emerita, Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Frank Cogliano, Interim Saunders Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies, will draw the day’s conversation to a close and reflect on our successes and hopes for the future.

Andrew Davenport, Public Historian and Director of Getting Word African American Oral History Project, will speak about a recent Mellon Grant and the collaborative creation of both the Digital Archive: From Slavery to Freedom and The Papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement Series.

P. Gardiner Hallock, Interim President, Thomas Jefferson Foundation

Susan Kern, Associate Professor and Director of the Historic Preservation Program at the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation at the University of Maryland.  She is the author of the award-winning The Jeffersons at Shadwell, and is currently working on a book about the landmark preservation projects of the early twentieth century and their lasting influence on historical imagination about early America.

Stephen Light, Interim Vice President of Guest Experiences, Education and Visitor Programs, will discuss the challenges and excitement of the interpretation of Thomas Jefferson in the twenty-first century.

Ann Lucas, Senior Historian Emerita, Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. Ann will provide a brief historical overview of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Gary Sandling, Vice President, Historic Area Operations, Colonial Williamsburg. Formerly TJF Vice President of Strategy & Content. Gary will reflect on the Mountaintop Project, an ambitious initiative which compressed decades of restoration work into a few short years…bringing back essential spaces in which to share the stories of those who lived and labored at Monticello.

Susan Stein, Richard Gilder Senior Curator, Special Projects, Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Susan will moderate our first panel, comprised of former TJF staff, reflecting on “what we built”, and the important work TJF has accomplished.

Endrina Tay, Fiske and Marie Kimball Librarian, will moderate the afternoon panel, which looks forward to our “second century” and features current TJF staff involved with these projects.

Douglas L. Wilson, Founding Director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies. Doug will discuss the founding of the ICJS and how the Thomas Jefferson Foundation became a center of knowledge production.

Chad Wollerton, Director of Digital Media and Strategy, will discuss the ways digital content connects broad audiences with Monticello.