James Madison’s Montpelier
Telling the truth about America’s Founding Era.
The Challenge
Prior to 2016, this Presidential home and historic site was a monument to James Madison that also housed a center for the study of the U.S. Constitution. But the hero worship narrative in the museum did not support the inquiry of Constitutional government.
The Outcome
As Vice President for Marketing & Communications, I worked with the President and the Museum team to create a more honest narrative of the Founding Era. We launched a national award-winning descendant-driven exhibition on the lives of the enslaved men and women of Montpelier, and, in doing so, reset the way the Founding Era is interpreted as the backdrop for today’s Constitutional debates.