Building Fellowship: Inside Monticello's Scholar Community

Building Fellowship 

Six months ago, I joined Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello as their newest historian at Monticello’s International Center for Jefferson Studies (ICJS). The ICJS, Monticello’s research division, is well known for its commitment to scholarship in the public interest. It was both an honor and delight to join this team, which supports Monticello’s public interpretation and programs, conferences, lectures, and other events focused on advancing the field of Jefferson Studies.  

Central to my role at the ICJS is leading Monticello’s fellowship program, shaping the next generation of scholars who study Jefferson, Monticello, and the founding history of the United States and its legacies. Since 1994, the ICJS has awarded more than 600 fellowships to researchers from around the country and globe. In 2024, Dr. Andrew Davenport, Vice President for Research and Saunders Director of the ICJS, paused the fellowship program before redesigning it to catalyze independent research within a cohort model. The task assigned to me when I was hired was to make this change a reality, and I oversaw an exponential growth in applications to the program in late 2025.  

My goal in leading the fellowship program is to create opportunities for personal development while simultaneously providing comprehensive orientation to Thomas Jefferson, Monticello, and all the people who lived and labored here. I am also responsible for supporting fellows in their exploration of how Monticello interprets this history across its various departments and divisions. Since the fellowship program is organized by cohorts, as opposed to individual scholars visiting on a rotating basis, I simultaneously coach, mentor, and guide independent researchers while fostering collective learning.  

When fellows arrive at Monticello, they are greeted by staff and colleagues who are passionate about every aspect of Jeffersonian history. I have the gift of introducing fellows to a range of individuals, such as the historians who seemingly know everything about Jefferson’s voluminous correspondence; the archaeologists who share their expertise while walking along Monticello’s historic roads; and the librarians who understand where every book and resource is hiding. There is such a wealth of knowledge at Monticello, and the generosity with which my colleagues share their expertise is a key component of what makes this fellowship program a special experience.  

Potential applicants to ICJS’s fellowship program should expect both dedicated time to conduct individual research and an invitation to join a community of experts who want to share their time, knowledge, and resources. It is the collective brain power at Monticello that ignites scholarship in the field of Jefferson Studies and makes this fellowship program so meaningful. Whether potential applicants are artists, civic organizers, graduate students, independent scholars, professors, public historians, or schoolteachers, I hope that they will see their work reflected in the field of Jefferson Studies, expansively defined, and apply to Monticello’s fellowship program at the ICJS.