Sarah Weicksel
Dr. Sarah Weicksel is executive director of the American Historical Association. She has previously worked as the Association’s director of research and publications and as a project historian at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. She serves on the National Archives Federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Advisory Committee.
“Only historians and trained museum professionals are qualified to conduct such a review, which is intended to ensure historical accuracy. To suggest otherwise is an affront to the professional integrity of curators, historians, educators and everyone involved in the creation of solid, evidence-based content.”
Sarah Weicksel, AHA executive director, on the Trump administration’s announcement of a “sweeping review” of the Smithsonian to “ensure alignment” with the administration’s goals.the Smithsonian Institution.
The NEH is vital to the American public’s engagement with the vibrant landscape of humanities education and research. We remain committed to pursuing all legal options to ensure that the work of the NEH and its staff continues to connect Americans with the history and culture that is so central to civic engagement.
~Sarah Weicksel, American Historical Association
Recent Reflections & News
Request an Interview
The AHA is pleased to speak with and provide resources for journalists and the media. If you are a member of the media and would like to submit a request for a referral or interview, please email press@historians.org. Please provide any pertinent deadlines and we will do our best to accommodate your request. The AHA can find you a historian for any topic, and assists with dozens of inquiries each year.
From the Executive Director in Perspectives on History
AHA Advocacy
In a wide range of situations, whether involving the rights and careers of individual historians, historical practice in diverse venues, or the role of history in public culture, the American Historical Association has the responsibility to take public stands. In the past few years, the AHA has sponsored amicus briefs considered by the US Supreme Court; sent letters to states considering legislation that would restrict history education or eliminate tenure at public universities; and opposed decisions by academic institutions to cut history departments and terminate faculty members.