Teresa Goforth

My name is Teresa Goforth and I am returning to the doctoral program after a 20-year hiatus. I have spent my time since completing the M.A. working in museums, museum organizations, and public history organizations. I started my career as the executive director of a small museum in Charlotte, MI and then moved on for a short stay at the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office. I spent a very rewarding six years as executive director of the Michigan Museums Association where I had the privilege of working with museums and museum professionals all across the state of Michigan. During that time, I also consulted with the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions Service and the Federation of State Humanities Councils on the Museum on Main Street project, working with small museums all over the country to bring SITES exhibitions to their communities and to develop associated local exhibits and programs to accompany them. I have been very fortunate to stay in the classroom most of my career, teaching history at Lansing Community College and museum studies at Michigan State University and Central Michigan University

I am very excited to return to my work in the history program and to complete the Ph.D. My research will explore Appalachian identity as it is presented in public history sites and popular history publications, such as the Arcadia Press local history series. Appalachian identity in this context tends to read very white and male. Part of my work will be to broaden that conversation to include people who are missing in the stories these institutions tell to the public, so I will excitedly and necessarily be exploring the stories of women and African-Americans in the mountain South in this process.