KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Thursday, 1 June 2023

Diverse from the Beginning

8:00 a.m.

Christy Coleman

Museum leader and advocate Christy S. Coleman

NGS is pleased to host Christy S. Coleman, who shares her expertise on the history and current events shaping Virginia. Incorporating the conference theme, Virginia: Deep Roots of a Nation, Ms. Coleman will discuss the often forgotten or ignored contributions of all the early people in Virginia including African Americans and Indigenous People. She will also share a few examples of the recent progress in Richmond and across the state to tell the full story of Virginia’s history.

Ms. Coleman has served as the Chief Executive Officer of some of the nation’s most prominent museums. She’s a tireless advocate for the power of museums, narrative correction, diversity, and inclusiveness. Ms. Coleman is an innovator and leader in the museum field having held leadership roles at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and the American Civil War Museum. She now serves as the Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. Ms. Coleman is the recipient of numerous awards for her decades of impact, including three Honorary Doctorates. She served as the historical consultant for the award-winning film Harriett and Showtime’s Good Lord Bird with other projects in the queue. She’s most recently appeared in award-winning documentaries, Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Black Patriots: Civil War Heroes, Neutral Ground, and When the Monuments Came Down.