I am looking forward to co-chairing, with Rebecca Wingo, this important session highlighting the variety of Public History professions in an exciting format at the 2020 Western History Association’s 2020 conference (#WHA2020).

Within the academy, there is still a divide between professional academics and academics in other professions. This panel seeks to demystify any misperceptions about what public historians in a variety of fields actually do for a living — in a gameshow format! Think of “What’s My Line” or similar biographical gameshows of yesteryear where, in this case, the audience comes to appreciate the nuances of the work historians do in the public sphere. Included on the panel are the following presenters:

• Nicolai Kryloff, Historical Research Associates, Inc.
• Justin Henderson, Regional Heritage Partnerships Program Manager, NPS
• Jeff Pappas, New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer
• Roberto Martinez, State Historian of New Mexico
• Tara Travis, Museum Curator, Mesa Verde National Park and Yucca House National Monument
• Zebulon Miracle, Curator of Curiosity– Gateway Canyons Resort
• Jeremy Johnston, Historian, Buffalo Bill Center of the West