Effective June 1, 2012, Stephen Bromage will become the Maine Historical Society's new Executive Director. Assistant Director of MHS since 2006, Bromage was chosen after a lengthy and rigorous national search. "He's the very best choice," said Katherine Pope, President of the Board. "He has played a vital and integral role in the success and growth of MHS over the last ten years. We have ambitious goals and Steve has the vision and creativity to lead MHS into the future."
Steve has been responsible for the extraordinary growth of the MHS audience, both live and virtual. He has planned and implemented all public programs at MHS, increasing numbers and diversity through better communications and partnerships with many Maine cultural organizations. Steve has been instrumental in the success of Maine Memory Network--the Society's statewide, online collaborative museum--raising more than $3 million in grants and designing new, innovative programs, such as the Maine Community Heritage Project, to help promote the role of history in creating community awareness and identity. A participant in the statewide development of the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, and a frequent presenter at national conferences, Steve is now a recognized leader in the field of digital history and community development.
Bromage received his B.A. in English from the University of Richmond (VA) and his Masters in American History from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), where he focused on 20th century U.S. cultural history. He has served as a regular grant reviewer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and has served on the board of the Willowbrook Museum Village in Newfield Maine. Before coming to MHS in 2001, Steve served as the Associate Director of the Disability History Museum and Learning Resource Center, a project of Straight Ahead Pictures (a non-profit media and education center in Massachusetts).
"In the past decade," says Steve, "we have seen the vibrant role that Maine history can play in the lives of diverse audiences throughout the state. History is becoming active, participatory, representative, and more integrated into civic life. There are exciting possibilities ahead, and heightened expectations for the role that MHS can play in Maine. I look forward to leading MHS as it continues to grow and evolve, and as we build a dynamic, sustainable foundation for the future."
