Dr. W. Todd Groce

President and Chief Executive Officer

912.651.2125

Laura Garcia-Culler

Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer 

912.651.2125

Ms. Garcia-Culler is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and has more than 15 years of local, state and national non-profit management experience.  She is responsible for human resources, financial, information technology, development, and administrative operations for the Society.  Prior to joining GHS in 2003 she was deputy director of the Savannah Music Festival, deputy director for operations of the National Immigration Forum on Capitol Hill, an English professor in Valencia, Spain, and a consultant for a Washington, DC-based firm to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Dr. Stan Deaton

Senior Historian

912.651.2125, ext. 15

Dr. Deaton, a Georgia native, holds bachelors (journalism) and masters (history) degrees from the University of Georgia, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida, where he taught prior to joining GHS.  He serves as managing editor and book review editor for the organization's award-winning publication, The Georgia History Quarterly and is the editor of Georgia History Today.  Dr. Deaton also works closely with the President and Library and Archives staff to develop the archival holdings at GHS.  Dr. Deaton has written articles and book reviews for such publications as The New Georgia Encyclopedia, the Journal of Southern History, and the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography.  He is a frequent lecturer on a wide variety of historical subjects. Dr. Deaton can now be heard on Georgia Public Broadcasting's "Cover to Cover" as part of their  Southern Lit Cadre.

Dr. Anne Bailey

Consultant 

Editor, Georgia Historical Quarterly

Georgia College & State University

Dr. Bailey currently teaches at Georgia College & State University, and is the editor of GHS's Georgia Historical Quarterly.  She received her doctorate from Texas Christian University, is the author or editor of eight books on the Civil War, and has written more than 150 book chapters, articles and book reviews on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the Trans-Mississippi.  She received the 2005 Grady McWhiney Award of Merit from the Civil War Round Table of Dallas, and her book The Chessboard of War: Sherman and Hood in the Autumn Campaigns of 1864, received the Richard Barksdale Harwell Award from the Civil War Round Table of Atlanta as best book on the Civil War published in 2000.  Dr. Bailey also received the 2001 Excellence in Research and Publication Award at GCSU.

Christy Crisp

Director of Programs

912.651.2125, ext. 17

Ms. Crisp is responsible for management of the Society's Historical Marker and Affiliate Chapter programs, as well as educational and outreach programs for both adults and school children and teachers.  She holds an undergraduate degree in international relations from Samford University in Birmingham, AL, and an M.A. in history from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.  Prior to joining GHS she worked in historical interpretation at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Charlottesville, VA.

William Hanley

Historical Marker Survey Coordinator

912.651.2125

Mr. Hanley works as a consultant with GHS, serving as field representative/surveyor for the Historical Marker Program.   He is responsible for conducting a field survey that includes confirmation of marker locations, identification of missing and damaged markers, documentation of marker subjects and text, etc. that will help to inform the development of new historical markers.  Mr. Hanley holds a B.A. in History from Auburn University and is currently completing his thesis requirement for his M.A. in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia.  Prior to joining the Society he worked as a project manager, preserving and restoring built environments in both Savannah and Boston, in addition to work with cultural preservation in Eastern Europe. 

Charles Snyder

Program Coordinator

912.651.2125, ext. 40

Mr. Snyder is responsible for implementation of the Society's Historical Marker and Affiliate Chapter programs, as well as working closely with the Director of Programs on educational and outreach programs for both adults and school children and teachers. Mr. Snyder holds a B.A. in Media Arts from the University of South Carolina in Columbia.  Prior to joining GHS, he was assistant to the Dean of Graduate Studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Nora Lewis
Director of Library and Archives
912.651.2125, ext. 18

Ms. Lewis is responsible for the management and operations of the Library and Archives Division of GHS. She holds a Masters in Library and Information Science with a concentration in Archival Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.  Prior to joining GHS she held positions at the University of Pittsburgh Archives, the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, and the Rio Rancho Public Library (NM). 

Alison Bentley

Reference Archivist

912.651.2125, ext. 19 

Ms. Bentley provides reference services to GHS library and archives patrons and assists with maintaining the daily operations of the reading room. She also works to accession, arrange, describe, preserve, catalog, and make available archival materials within the collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Ms. Bentley earned a B.A. in History at East Carolina University and an M.S. from the University of Tennessee. Before joining the Georgia Historical Society, she worked with the National Park Service, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the University of Tennessee Libraries.

John Dickinson
Systems Catalog Services Coordinator
912.651.2125, ext. 31

Mr. Dickinson holds Master of Arts degree in History, with a concentration in Public History, from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah.  He has taught at AASU since receiving his degree in 2006, and joined GHS in 2007. 

Heather Kirkland

Savannah Jewish Archives Assistant

 912.651.2125

 Ms. Kirkland assists the Savannah Jewish Archives in preserving and providing access to the collection. She holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining GHS in 2007, she managed a reference database for the Evaluation, Research, and Development Unit with the University of Arizona and Arizona Health Services.

William Markley

Special Collections Reference Librarian

912.651.2125, ext. 21

Mr. Markley is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the Library and the GHS Reading Room.  He holds a Masters in Library Science with a concentration in Reference from the University of Pittsburgh.  Prior to joining GHS he held positions at the Schmidt Library at York College of Pennsylvania and the Ohio Historical Society. 

Katharine Rapkin

Reference Assistant

912.651.2125, ext. 13

Ms. Rapkin is a reference assistant in the library; she also serves as a web content writer for the Georgia Historical Society. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Nebraska, and is pursuing a Masters in Library and Information Science from Florida State University. Prior to joining GHS she worked as a writing center consultant and circulation assistant in the libraries of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Additionally, she has editorial experience in both trade and scholarly publishing.

Lynette Stoudt
Senior Archivist and Archivist for the Savannah Jewish Archives
912.651.2125, ext. 34

Ms. Stoudt administers all activities relating to description, preservation, and access of GHS's archival collections. She also serves as the archivist for the Savannah Jewish Archives, a deposit collection at GHS. Ms. Stoudt holds a Masters in Library and Information Science, with an emphasis on Archival Studies, from San Jose State University in California.  Prior to joining GHS she was an archivist at the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and an archivist and records management consultant with an international consulting firm and worked in the Special Collections libraries of the University of California in Irvine and San Diego.   

Kathy Boyd

Administrative Assistant

912.651.2125, ext. 10

Ms. Boyd is the Administrative Assistant for the Georgia Historical Society, providing support to both the executive office and the office operations team. Prior to joining GHS, Ms. Boyd spent over twenty years working for corporate executives in manufacturing and land development. Her office experience has been in sales, production, and human resources.  

Lynn Bryant

Staff Accountant

912.651.2125, ext. 11

Ms. Bryant is a Certified Public Accountant and holds an undergraduate and graduate business administration degrees in accounting from the University of Georgia.

Leanda Rix

Grants and Development Manager

912.651.2125, ext. 14
Ms. Rix holds an undergraduate degree in global studies and religion from Azusa Pacific University, and a graduate degree in urban and regional planning from Califorinia State Polytechnic University.  Prior to joining GHS, she helped non-profits in California and abroad secure and manage both public and private grant awards for community-based programming and capital development projects. Her background includes research, program development, community affairs, and, recently, administration of a nearly $4-million budget funded by federal and municipal awards.

 Becca Walton Evans

Development Coordinator

912.651.2125, ext. 16

Becca Walton Evans is the Development Coordinator for GHS and is responsible for working with the GHS membership. Prior to joining GHS, she worked in development, marketing, and operations with the Charlottesville Symphony, the Charleston Symphony, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, and at Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner.  She earned an undergraduate degree in history and American Studies from the University of Virginia, and a master's degree from the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.  Her research interests include twentieth century Southern history, trauma studies, and Southern and South African literature.