Stephen Kidd
Executive Director
(he/him)
Stephen Kidd is the executive director of the National Humanities Alliance. Before joining NHA, he was director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian Institution’s “Museum without Walls.” As director, he oversaw the development of major, research-based exhibitions including, among others, Crisis and Creativity: Unfolding the AIDS Memorial Quilt (2012), Colombia: the Nature of Culture (2011), and Asian Pacific Americans: Local Lives, Global Ties (2010). Prior to his work at the Smithsonian, he served on the staff of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. He holds a B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in American Studies from the George Washington University.
Cecily Erin Hill
Director of Narrative Strategy
(she/her)
As director of narrative strategy, Cecily Hill oversees our research into the impact of federal funding for the humanities and devises our strategy for communicating about that impact. Previously, Cecily led the NEH for All and Community Case Studies initiatives, which focused on the impact of the humanities on public life in the United States. Prior to joining NHA, Cecily served as Marketing and Communications Director for Books@Work, a public humanities nonprofit based in Cleveland, OH. Her writing has appeared in Studies in English Literature, 1500 – 1900 and Women’s Writing. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Southern Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in English from the Ohio State University.
Alexandra Klein
Communications and Government Relations Manager
(she/her)
As communications and government relations manager at the National Humanities Alliance, Alexandra Klein coordinates press outreach and engagement, manages NHA’s web presence, and collaborates on government relations efforts. Before joining NHA, she was an Allen Lee Hughes Fellow at Arena Stage where she worked in the communications department, splitting her time between Media Relations and Marketing. Prior to Arena Stage, Alex attended the George Washington University where she received a B.A. in both Journalism and English.
Scott Muir
Director of Undergraduate Initiatives
(he/him)
As director of undergraduate initiatives, Scott Muir leads NHA’s efforts to forward innovation in undergraduate humanities education and attract a broader range of students to the humanities. He is the host of the podcast What Are You Going to Do with That? and author of Protestant Privilege and Pluralism on Campus (Peter Lang, 2023), as well as multiple articles exploring the religious dimensions of camping music festivals published in Sacred Matters Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Duke University, an M.T.S. from Emory University, and a B.A. from Dartmouth College, and has taught at Duke, Emory, and Western Carolina University.
Younger Oliver
Higher Education Research Manager
(she/her)
As the higher education research manager at NHA, Younger Oliver works across NHA’s initiatives and partnerships to document the impact of the humanities in higher education. She is currently a PhD student in Higher Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. Prior to joining NHA, she worked as an academic advisor for the College of Engineering at the University of Alaska Anchorage. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Alaska Anchorage and an M.A. in Higher Education, Institutional Research from the University of Michigan.
Kassandra Wahlstrom Ford
Operations and Events Manager
(she/her)
Kassandra Wahlstrom Ford manages NHA’s daily operations including membership onboarding, renewals, and billing as well as event logistics and registration. Before joining NHA, she worked in specialty coffee, both as a roaster and as a wholesale accounts manager, while volunteering at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She has a B.A. in Anthropology from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY.
