Melanie Adams

Last updated
Melanie Adams
Born1969 (age 5455)
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Virginia
University of Vermont
University of Missouri–St. Louis
OccupationMuseum director
Organization Anacostia Community Museum

Melanie Adams (born 1969) is an American educator and museum administrator. She is director of the Anacostia Community Museum in Washington, D.C., a unit of the Smithsonian Institution, and was named interim director of the yet-to-open Smithsonian American Women's History Museum in July 2023. [1]

Contents

Early life and education

Melanie A. Adams was born in 1969, the daughter of a teacher and a librarian, and she grew up in East Hanover, New Jersey. [2] [3]

Adams received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and African-American studies from the University of Virginia. [4] She went on to earn a Master of Education degree from the University of Vermont and a doctorate degree in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. [5] Her 2014 doctoral dissertation was titled "Advocating for Educational Equity: African American Citizens' Councils in St. Louis, Missouri from 1864 to 1927". [6]

Professional career

Adams began her career in higher education working in student affairs at the University of California-Berkeley and California State University-Northridge. [7]

Adams moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1997 after being offered a position in student affairs at Washington University. [3] From 2002 to 2003, Adams served as the executive director for the St. Louis office of Teach for America. [3] She worked as a consultant for community organizations until 2005, when she became managing director for community education and events at the Missouri History Museum; [3] she worked for the Missouri Historical Society until 2016. [8]

She joined the Minnesota Historical Society as deputy director in 2016. [4] She brought her community engagement efforts to create a community outreach department to build relationships with local communities in each of the Society's 26 historic sites and museums. [5]

Adams became director of the Anacostia Community Museum in August 2019, aspiring to create more community-based partnerships in that role. [5] [9]

Professional leadership

She was appointed to the St. Louis Public Schools Special Administrative Board in 2007, working with the community to regain accreditation for the district. [10] She served in that role for nine years. [8]

She served as president of the Association of Midwest Museums from 2014 to 2016. [5]

Adams is currently a member of the board of directors for the American Association for State and Local History. [5]

Notable awards

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithsonian Institution</span> US group of museums and research centers

The Smithsonian Institution, or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Missouri System</span> Public university system in Missouri

The University of Missouri System is an American state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, and ten research and technology parks. Over 61,500 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses. The health care system operates several hospitals and clinics in central Missouri, while the extension program provides distance learning and other educational initiatives statewide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anacostia Community Museum</span> Community museum in Washington, D.C.

The Anacostia Community Museum is a community museum in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It is one of twenty museums under the umbrella of the Smithsonian Institution and was the first federally funded community museum in the United States. The museum, founded in 1967, was created with the intention to bring aspects of the Smithsonian museums, located on the National Mall, to the Anacostia neighborhood, with the hope that community members from the neighborhood would visit the main Smithsonian museums. It became federally funded in 1970 and focuses on the community in and around Anacostia in its exhibitions. This museum also houses a library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anacostia</span> Neighborhood in Washington, D.C.

Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Marion Barry Avenue SE, Morris Road SE, Fort Stanton Park SE, and Anacostia Freeway SE. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is named.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Museum of African American History and Culture</span> Museum in Washington, DC

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), colloquially known as the Blacksonian, is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in 2003 and opened its permanent home in 2016 with a ceremony led by President Barack Obama.

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Barry Farm is a neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., located east of the Anacostia River and bounded by the Southeast Freeway to the northwest, Suitland Parkway to the northeast and east, and St. Elizabeths Hospital to the south. The neighborhood was renowned as a significant post-Civil-War settlement of free Blacks and freed slaves established by the Freedmen's Bureau. The streets were named to commemorate the Union generals, Radical Republicans, and Freedmen's Bureau officials who advanced the rights of Black Americans during the Civil War and Reconstruction: Howard Road SE for General Oliver O. Howard; Sumner Road SE for Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner; Wade Road SE for Ohio Senator Benjamin Wade; Pomeroy Road SE for Kansas Senator Samuel C. Pomeroy; Stevens Road SE for Pennsylvania Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, and Nichols Avenue for Henry Nichols who was the first superintendent of Saint Elizabeth's Hospital. The neighborhood name is not a reference to the late former mayor of Washington, D.C., Marion Barry, but coincidentally has the same spelling.

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References

  1. Jacobs, Julia (5 Jul 2023). "Director of New Women's History Museum Withdraws, Citing Family Issues". Washington Post .
  2. "Adams, Melanie A, 1969-". Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Peterson, Deb (20 December 2009). "History Museum director relishes role with St. Louis Public Schools". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  4. 1 2 McGlone, Peggy (23 May 2019). "Minnesota Historical Society deputy chosen to lead Anacostia Museum". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Melanie Adams Appointed Director of Anacostia Museum". Smithsonian Institution Archives. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  6. Morrison, David (24 June 2019). "Alumna Melanie Adams brings UMSL experience to new role as director of Anacostia museum". UMSL Daily. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  7. "Faculty". University of Minnesota Master of Science in Historic Preservation. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 Crouch, Elisa (22 August 2016). "Melanie Adams resigns from St. Louis district's Special Administrative Board". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  9. Kaplan, Joshua. "New Anacostia Community Museum Director Melanie Adams Talks About the Institution's Place in a Changing City". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 McNeir, D. Kevin (2 October 2019). "Melanie Adams Assumes the Helm at Anacostia Community Museum". Washington Informer. Retrieved 10 November 2019.