Head of University Public History and Robert Francis Engs Director of the Lemon Project

Job Requisition:

JR101962 Head of University Public History and Robert Francis Engs Director of the Lemon Project (Open)

Job Posting Title:

Head of University Public History and Robert Francis Engs Director of the Lemon Project

Department:

CC00036 WM001 | PROV | Provost's Office

Job Family:

Staff - Librarians

Worker Sub-Type:

Regular (benefited)

Job Requisition Primary Location:

Swem Library

Primary Job Posting Location:

Posting Location - William & Mary

Job Description Summary:

William & Mary Libraries seeks a Head of University Public History and Robert Engs Director of the Lemon Project to lead The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation, the university’s flagship research and reconciliation initiative on its history of slavery, segregation, and their legacies. The role also directs the Bray School Lab, William & Mary’s initiative, developed with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, to interpret the history of the Williamsburg Bray School, one of the oldest surviving schoolhouses for the education of enslaved and free Black children in North America. Reporting to the Director of the Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), the Head of University Public History serves as the principal steward and public face of both initiatives, connecting them into a coherent, university-wide program of inclusive historical interpretation.

The Head of University Public History expands the narrative of slavery and its legacies at William & Mary through archival and genealogical research and descendant-community engagement, with findings housed in University Libraries. As a founding member of the Universities Studying Slavery consortium, the Lemon Project holds a position of national and international leadership among institutions reckoning with their histories of enslavement. Supervising an Associate Director, Genealogist and supporting staff, the Head of University Public History holds oversight of the unit’s research agenda, community-engagement strategy, publications, communications, budget, and records, and works with library colleagues, university partners, and descendant communities to illuminate the 300-year relationship between African Americans, William & Mary, and the Greater Williamsburg area.

Key Responsibilities:
Leadership, Research & Reconciliation
• Provide strategic and intellectual leadership for the Lemon Project, advancing its mission to research, document, and make public the history of African Americans at William & Mary and to repair the university’s relationship with the communities it has harmed.
• Set the Lemon Project’s research agenda in partnership with the Lemon Project team, advancing the continuing effort to uncover the full history of William & Mary.
• Lead the Bray School Lab and coordinate its research and interpretive work with that of the Lemon Project.
• Conduct and lead original archival and genealogical research on slavery, segregation, and African American life at William & Mary and in the Williamsburg community, emphasizing underrepresented voices and the legacies of enslavement and the Jim Crow era.
• Lead and oversee public-facing research and scholarship, and mentor students and junior researchers in historical methodology.
• Sustain the momentum of the Lemon Project and the Bray School Lab with partners including consortia and foundations and represent it in professional and scholarly venues.
• Convene and contribute to conversations across the university’s history and reconciliation projects using the principle of shared authority.

Community & Descendant Engagement
• Set and lead the Lemon Project’s community-engagement strategy, cultivating trust-based, reciprocal partnerships with descendant communities and with civic, cultural, and faith stakeholders—grounded in shared authority and responsive to community perspectives.
• Partner with community organizations, historians, genealogists, and educators to co-create programs and interpretive projects, including genealogical and descendant-research initiatives.
• Serve as liaison between the university and community partners, exercising sound judgment to navigate sensitive historical narratives and community concerns with care and integrity.

Public Programming & Education
• Lead the planning of signature public events for the Lemon Project and Bray School Lab, including an annual symposium and recurring online and in-person programming (for example, porch talks, genealogical research workshops, and commemorative observances).
• Design and deliver talks, workshops, exhibitions, and curriculum—convening on- and off-campus public humanities partners—that advance the institution’s public narrative and bring Lemon Project and Bray School Lab research to broad audiences.
• Develop and diversify the oral history record of African American life at William & Mary and in the surrounding community.
• Collaborate with faculty, students, and staff to integrate historical research into courses, public programs, and community events.
• Mentor and support students, graduate assistants, and student fellows through experiential research opportunities in public history, reconciliation, and descendant engagement.

Collaboration & Stewardship
• Work closely with archivists and librarians to identify, preserve, and provide access to resources relevant to university and community history.
• Partner with campus units—including the Omohundro Institute, the National Institute for American History & Democracy (NIAHD), the Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, Department of History and Highland—to coordinate initiatives.
• Oversee the unit’s budget, internal and external communications, and record-keeping that supports historical documentation and future planning, directing the work of the Associate Director, Genealogist, and office support staff.
• Contribute to grant writing and project planning to sustain and expand public history programming and research.

Job Description:

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in history, public history, African American studies, museum studies, or a related field, with equivalent education, experience, and training.
• Demonstrated experience in archival or public history research, outreach and teaching, with a focus on slavery, race, and African American history.
• Strong record of community-engaged scholarship and programming, ideally including work that centers descendant or historically marginalized communities.
• Demonstrated interpersonal and communication skills, particularly as they relate to building trust with community partners.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. degree in history, public history, African American studies, museum studies, or terminal degree in a relevant field, with equivalent education, experience, and training.
• 3-5 years of experience in a university or academic library setting, with supervisory or team leadership experience and demonstrated success in securing grants.
• Knowledge of Virginia and Tidewater regional history, including the region’s African American history and public memory and contested histories in place-based settings.
• An active record of, or potential for, scholarly lectures and/or publication in public history, public humanities, or African American studies, and familiarity with digital humanities tools for public storytelling.
• Experience engaging with descendant communities through genealogical or descendant-research methods, significant participation in relevant collaborative consortia, initiatives, and events.

Job Duties:

35% - Leadership, Research & Reconciliation:

• Provide strategic and intellectual leadership for the Lemon Project and Bray School Lab.
• Set the research agenda with the team to uncover the full history of William & Mary.
• Conduct original archival and genealogical research; lead and oversee scholarship for academic and public-facing journals, podcasts, and blogs.
• Mentor junior researchers.
• Sustain the Project’s leadership within nationally-recognized entities (e.g. Universities Studying Slavery consortium).

25% - Community & Descendant Engagement:

• Set and lead the community-engagement strategy on the history of the Lemon Project and the 300-year relationship between African Americans, William & Mary, and the Greater Williamsburg area.
• Steward descendant-community relationships grounded in shared authority.
• Co-create programs and interpretive projects with community partners.
• Serve as liaison between the university and community partners.

25% - Public Programming & Education:

• Lead an annual symposium and recurring online and in-person programming.
• Design and deliver talks, workshops, exhibitions, and curricula, convening on- and off-campus public humanities partners; develop and diversify the oral history record.
• Mentor students, graduate assistants, and student fellows.

15% - Collaboration & Stewardship:

• Oversee the unit’s budget, communications, and record-keeping and direct the Associate Director, Genealogist, and office support staff.
• Work with archivists and librarians to preserve and provide access to resources.
• Partner with campus units (Omohundro Institute, NIAHD, Office of Strategic Cultural Partnerships, Department of History, Highland).
• Contribute to grant writing and project planning.

Application Instructions:

For full consideration, please apply by the review date of August 7, 2026. A resume/CV and cover letter are required for this position and should address why you are interested and how you meet the qualifications. We will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this vacancy.

Salary: Up to $105,000 commensurate with experience.

Additional Job Description:

Job Profile:

JP0701 - Librarian II - Exempt - Salary - S12

Qualifications:

Compensation Grade:

S12

Recruiting Start Date:

2026-07-24

Position Restrictions:

Continuing E&G funded position and not term-limited

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Background Check: William & Mary is committed to providing a safe campus community. W&M conducts background investigations for applicants being considered for employment. Background investigations include reference checks, a criminal history record check, and when appropriate, a financial (credit) report or driving history check. 

 

Remote Work Disclaimer: Remote work eligibility is not guaranteed and is subject to approval. Employee eligibility depends on the likelihood of the employee succeeding in a remote work arrangement and the supervisor’s ability to manage remote workers. Departments and/or Human Resources may amend, alter, change, delete, or modify eligibility.