Resume

• 2005

  M.A.

  Master's Thesis:\n\nI Was Brought Here to Make a Change: Black Popular Musician Activism 1957 - 1992\n\nCompleted May 2008

  Historical Studies

  Society of Historical Studies Graduate Students (Founding Member)\nNational History Day

  St. Louis (Judge and Mentor)\nRecipient of the James Walker Graduate Scholarship

• 1999

  B.S.

  Recipient of the Dean's Scholarship ($5000 Annually)

  Organizational Communications

  Learning and Design

  Naw Shus Ultimate Frisbee\n

• New Bern Extant History - Founding Director (Fall 2014 - Present)\n\nNew Bern Extant History is an ongoing Oral History project that is a Service Learning activity used in HIS 132 American History II. Students enrolled in HIS 132 are challenged to use their knowledge of Twentieth Century American History to shape well-informed interviews with community members. Students participate in the Listening to History project by guiding interviewees through the process of sharing their experiences and memories jogged by listening to popular music. Students have the opportunity to contribute their interviews and work as production assistants on the Listening to History podcast. \n\n\nDr. Martin Luther King

  Jr. National Day of Service (January 2015 - 2017)\n\nPaterson Family History Project - Founding Director (Spring 2009 – Spring 2010)\t\t\tPaterson

  NJ\n\nThe Paterson Family History Project was an Oral History activity that connected students with their community. Students collected the stories of community members residing in low-income retirement homes with the intention of learning about the interviewees and Paterson’s unique history and culture. \n\nHinchliffe Stadium Historical Restoration Project - Instructor (Spring 2010)\t\t\t\tPaterson

  NJ\n\nThe Hinchliffe Stadium Historical Restoration Project was an activity that allowed students the opportunity to serve their community by helping to restore one of three remaining Negro Baseball League stadiums. Hinchliffe Stadium

  now abandoned and dilapidated

  was once the home of the New York Black Yankees and the New York Cubans. Through participation in the project students gained an understanding of national “Jim Crow” racial segregation policies

  successful African-American enterprise and the significance of historical landmarks in local communities.

  Civic and Community Involvement

  Faculty Member

  Fall 2013 – Fall 2014:\t\tMSUB History Department Curriculum Development Committee\n\nFall 2013:\t\t\t MSUB History Department Colonial Historian Search Committee\n\nSummer 2013:\t\t\t MSUB City College Associate Dean Search Committee\n\nApril 2013:\t\t\t Faculty Excellence Awards Selection Committee – Montana State University Billings\n\nMarch 2011 – Fall 2014:\t Service Learning Advisory Board (Chair) – Montana State University Billings\n\nMarch 2011 – Fall 2014:\t Retention Team - Montana State University Billings\n\nSeptember 2011:\t\t MSUB Career Services Employment Services Specialist Search Committee\t\n\nAugust 2011 – August 2012:\tCareer Services Advisory Board – Montana State University Billings\n\nJune 2011 – September 2011:\t9/11 Memorial Planning Committee – Montana State University Billings\n\nJune 2011 – September 2011:\t9/11 Memorial Learning Committee - Montana State University Billings\n

  Past Advisory Boards and Committee Work

  Volunteer

  Kafer Park

  formerly the home of the New Bern Bears and New Bern Giants

  is in the early stages of a historical restoration project intended to return the park back to its glory of the mid-twentieth century. In partnership with the East Carolina Amateur Baseball League

  The City of New Bern and the Tryon Palace’s Department of African American Outreach I contribute to an effort to honor our city’s cultural heritage

  restore one of New Bern’s greatest landmarks and drive in runs as the second baseman for the New Bern Braves.

  Kafer Park Historical Restoration Project

  Faculty Member

  Fall 2014 – Present:\t\tStudent Registration Advising – Craven Community College\n\nFall 2014 – Present:\t\tFounder/Director/Oral Historian – New Bern Extant History\n\nSpring 2016:\t\t\t Dr. Martin Luther King

  Jr. National Day of Service – RCS Homeless Shelter\n\nFall 2015:\t\t\t Craven Pamlico Animal Services Center – Donation Drive \n\nSpring 2015:\t\t\t Dr. Martin Luther King

  Jr. National Day of Service – City Laundry Arts Center\n\nAugust 2012 – Fall 2014:\tFaculty Advisor for History and History/Education Majors\n\nApril 2014:\t\t\t Commenter – Phi Alpha Theta National History Honors Society Regional \n Conference - Coeur d’Alene

  ID\n\nApril 2013:\t\t\t Commenter – Phi Alpha Theta National History Honors Society Regional \n Conference - Portland State University

  Portland

  OR\n\nMay 2012 – Fall 2014:\t\tVolunteer – The HUB Homeless Drop-In Center

  Billings

  MT\n\nJanuary 2012 – Fall 2014:\tFounder/Director/Oral Historian – Billings Extant History\n\nJune 2011 – Fall 2014:\t\tFounder/Director/Oral Historian – Montana 9/11 Oral History Project\n\nApril 2011:\t\t\t Judge

  Mentor – National History Day

  Billings

  MT\n\n2009 - 2010:\t\t\t Founder/Director/Oral Historian - Paterson Family History Project\n\nFebruary 2008: \t\t Judge

  Mentor – National History Day

  St. Louis

  MO\n\n2007 - 2008:\t\t\t History Graduate Student Association (Founding Member) – \n Southern Illinois University Edwardsville\n\n2007- 2008:\t\t\tDepartment of Study Abroad - Student Ambassador\n\t\t\t\tSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville\n\n2006:\t\t\t\tOral Historian – Croatian Heritage Project\n\t\t\t\tSouthern Illinois University Edwardsville\t\n

  Service and Activities

  Volunteer

  The Crockett-Miller Slave Quarters serve as museum learning center for craven county students and New Bern tourists. Visitors have access to a historically restored nineteenth century slave quarters

  hundreds of historical artifacts of the era and a cemetery where hundreds of free African Americans of the reconstruction era have been laid to rest. As a volunteer

  tour guide and member of the James City Historical Society I help to maintain the grounds and teach school-aged children and adult learners about New Bern’s unique antebellum history. The slave quarters and cemetery also provide a meaningful Service Learning opportunity for American History I students.

  Crockett-Miller Slave Quarters and Cemetery

  Faculty Member

  Spring 2017 - Present: James City Historical Society Board of Directors \n\nSpring 2017 – Present:\t Craven-Pamlico Re-Entry Council – Craven County Correctional Institution\n\nFall 2016 - Present: Faculty Council Delegate\n\nFall 2016 – Present:\t Diversity Committee\n\nSpring 2016 – Present:\t Title IX Advisory Board – Craven Community College\n\nSpring 2015 – Present:\t Co-Advisor

  Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society – Alpha Phi Nu Chapter

  Craven Community College\n\nSpring 2015 – Present:\t Honors Program Advisory Board – Craven Community College\n\nFall 2015 – Present:\t Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship Committee – Craven Community College\n\nFall 2014 – Present:\t Minority Male Mentoring Program – Craven Community College\n

  Current Advisory Boards and Committee Work

  Curriculum Development

  Service Learning

  Fundraising

  Editing

  College Teaching

  African American History

  Curriculum Design

  Research

  Event Planning

  American History

  Creative Writing

  Educational Technology

  Social Media

  Adult Education

  Oral History

  Community Outreach

  History

  Distance Learning

  Grant Writing

  American Social and Cultural History

  Papers Presented

  Papers Presented

  Kmec

  Brian R.

  Kmec

  Montana State University Billings

  The Governor's Academy

  Evansville Day School

  Lewis and Clark Library

  Craven Community College

  Passaic County Community College

  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

  Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

  Service Learning Coordinator

  As the Service Learning Coordinator I worked diligently to connect students to their community through experiential learning. This position required the ability to successfully manage relationships between faculty members

  students and community partners. The objective was for students and faculty members to understand that what they learn and teach respectively can impact their community in positive ways through meaningful civic engagement. \n\nDuring my tenure as the Service Learning Coordinator the number of Service Learning courses offered at MSUB more than doubled. Nearly twenty percent of students enrolled during the 2011 – 2012 academic year at MSUB participated in experiential Service Learning courses.

  Montana State University Billings

  The Governor's Academy

  Byfield

  MA

  Pescosolido Library\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The Governor’s Academy – Byfield

  MA\n\nAs the Research Librarian my primary responsibility is to guide student research while they prepare to write junior year history theses and to serve as a liaison between the library and history department. This position requires expertise in a variety of American History topics as well as advanced knowledge of research databases and library catalogs. Cultivating meaningful working relationships with students is essential to their success as young scholars.

  Research Librarian

  Recipient of the Walter & Charlotte Pippenger Excellence in Innovation Award for Significantly Enhancing Undergraduate Teaching and Student Success - Fall 2012\n\n\nThe HUB Homeless Drop-In Center Photography Project – Creator

  Instructor & Volunteer (Fall 2012 – Spring 2013)\n\nThe HUB

  a homeless drop-in center for those suffering from pronounced mental heath disease

  is the site and subject of this photography project. The HUB opens its doors to patrons at 9:00 am and closes them at 5:00 pm every day (Monday – Friday) sending hundreds of homeless individuals out into the streets for the night. The obvious questions are: where do they go and what do they do? This student-led photography project intends to answer these questions. During the Fall 2012 semester students enrolled in ASC 297 Introduction to Service Learning volunteered their time at the HUB forming relationships with many homeless patrons before raising money to outfit them with disposable cameras. Patrons were given instructions to photograph what life looks like on the street. The results are profound. \n\nBillings Extant History - Founding Director (Spring 2012 - Present)\n\nBillings Extant History is an ongoing Oral History activity that serves as a Service Learning component to American History II. Students enrolled in HSTA 102 are challenged to use their knowledge of Twentieth Century American History to shape well-informed interviews with community elders. Students enrolled during the spring 2012 semester worked on a project titled

  Billings Family History that connected residents in Billings retirement homes with MSUB History students. Community elders received an opportunity to visit with and contribute to the learning process of young college students. Students provided elders with transcribed interviews and recordings and in return received history lessons through their conversations that could not be delivered through traditional class lectures or readings.

  Montana State University Billings

  Craven Community College

  New Bern

  NC

  HIS 131 & 132 – American History I & II (Seated and Online)\nHIS 111 & 112 – World Civilizations I & II (Seated and Online)\nHIS 121 & 122 – Western Civilization I & II (Seated and Online)\n\nAlpha Phi Nu Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society – Co-Advisor \t\t(Spring 2015 – Present)\n\nThe purpose of Phi Theta Kappa is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. To achieve this purpose

  Phi Theta Kappa provides the opportunity for students to develop leadership skills and embrace civic engagement. Alpha Phi Nu provides an intellectual climate for the exchange of ideas and ideals

  lively fellowship for scholars

  and stimulates interest in continuing academic excellence.\n\nListening to History Podcast – Creator

  Producer & Instructor \t\t\t\t (Fall 2014 - Present)\n\nListening to History explores the value of conversation in Oral History. Conventional Oral History methods suggest that historians avoid conversation in order to place emphasis on delivering questions

  listening and guiding the narrator (interviewee) toward responses that can support the research topic. While this conventional approach is not abandoned

  the narrators of oral histories are provided the opportunity to issue questions of their own. Crafting conversations rather than interviews allows for the creation of primary sources shaped by a variety of perspectives – the personal experiences of the narrator and the expertise of college and university faculty. \n\nTopics of conversation are generated in part by Craven Community College history students. There is a direct connection to HIS 132 - American History II. Students enrolled in some sections of HIS 132 are assigned a research paper in which they are challenged to connect a popular song to a historical event. In addition

  students enrolled in some sections of HIS 132 have been tasked with conducting oral histories in which they focus on using popular songs to discuss historical events covered in class.

  History Instructor

  Evansville

  Indiana Area

  History Instructor

  Evansville Day School

  Adjunct Lecturer (08/08 – 06/10) \n\nHumanities Department - History Passaic County Community College - Paterson

  NJ\n\nHistory 101 - Western Civilization I (Dawn of Man – 1600)\nHistory 102 - Western Civilization II (1600 – Present)\nHistory 102 WI - Western Civilization II (Writing Intensive)\nHistory 201 - United States History I (Colonization – Civil War Reconstruction)\n\n\nContinuing Education – Paterson Family History Project (Founder/Director)\n\nThe Paterson Family History Project is an Oral History activity that both students and community members take part in. The objective is to collect

  record and archive the stories of members of the Paterson community with the intention of sharing the unique cultural experiences of Paterson residents with future generations. The project allows students to reach out to their community

  while gaining a meaningful understanding of Paterson’s history and the people who have made the city their home. \n\n\nCourse Development (07/09 – 6/10)\n\nHistory 201 - United States History I (Writing Intensive)\nHistory 102 - Western Civilization II (Writing Intensive)\n\nUnited States History I and Western Civilization II were redesigned to improve the college level writing skills of students as part of a campus-wide General Education initiative. As the course designer I developed and taught writing intensive versions of the courses over several semesters before the courses were added permanently to the General Education curriculum.

  Passaic County Community College

  Lewis and Clark Library

  Helena

  Montana

  East Helena Branch Assistant Librarian

  Recipient of the 2012 Part-Time Faculty Excellence Award\n\nCourses:\n- United States History I\n- United States History II\n- Western Civilization II\n- First Year Seminar\n\nPathways to Self Sufficiency (Montana Women’s Prison)\t\t MSUB College of Professional Studies and Lifelong Learning – Billings

  MT\n\nThe Pathways to Self Sufficiency project offers courses in the broad categories of workforce training

  remedial coursework

  and academic preparation. The goals of the program are to: 1) prepare incarcerated women for livable wage employment; 2) prepare incarcerated women to pursue post-secondary education; and 3) reduce the recidivism rate of program participants. \n\nCourses:\nTwentieth Century American History I\nTwentieth Century American History II\nCollege Success Strategies\n\nMontana 9/11 Oral History Project - Founding Director (Fall 2011 – Spring 2014)\n\nThe Montana 9/11 Oral History Project was a Service Learning activity that included students and community members. The objective was to collect

  record and archive 9/11 memories from the Billings community with the intention of sharing their unique perspectives with future generations. Ultimately

  the project created a greater understanding of what the 9/11 attacks mean to Montanans and how the events of September 11

  2001 have shaped our community over the course of the last decade. The project allows students to reach out to their community

  while gaining a meaningful understanding of the World Trade Center attacks

  Billings’ history and the residents of the city.\n\nApproximately 300 students enrolled in ASC 294 – First Year Seminar collected interviews for the Montana 9/11 Oral History project during the fall 2011 semester. Each of the thirteen sections of ASC 294 were connected with a unique community partner organization that helped expose students to a variety of perspectives on the events of 9/11 as well as provided potential volunteer opportunities throughout Billings.

  Montana State University Billings

  Grant Received

  National Endowment for the Humanities - “Landmarks of American Democracy: From Freedom\nSummer to the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike” - Jackson State University and Rhodes College \n

  National Endowment for the Humanities

  Grant Recieved

  Craven Community College

  Faculty Enrichment Funds for Professional Development - $4000\nTo purchase professional grade recorders used in the production of the Listening to History Oral History Project and Podcast and to facilitate a community lecture hosted by Craven Community College and the Family History Society of Eastern North Carolina. \n

  Craven Community College Foundation