USU History Grads

With a degree in history, you can go on to do almost anything you desire. Some of our graduates are now professors of history, secondary school teachers, librarians, archivists, writers, government employees, museum curators, etc. Check out what they have accomplished and what they have to say about our graduate program in history.

USU Reunion at the American Society of Environmental History Conference, Portland 2010. From left to right, Chris Conte, Michael Lansing, Troy Reeves, Lawrence Culver, and Jim Feldman.
Steve Amerman (M.A. 1996) History Professor at Southern Connecticut State University Steve Amerman is an Associate Professor of History at Southern Connecticut State University. He teaches courses in American Indian History, American Frontier History, and American Environmental History. His book Urban Indians in Phoenix Schools, 1940-2000 (University of Nebraska Press) will be coming out in the Fall of 2010.
Todd Anderson Department Administrator, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin - Madison "In my opinion, the value of the 'graduate' experience is much more than the sum of the degrees granted, tenure-track positions obtained or job markets stormed. Graduate school should be about the cultivation of a rich intellectual life. Already a career civil servant, I chose to go to graduate school for the intellectual journey and USU did not disappoint. The faculty and staff of the history department fostered the kind of discourse, research and exploration I craved. Although I did not continue along a traditional academic track, my experience in the history department at USU (including, but not limited to, working with committed and enthusiastic faculty and hiking the Wasatch and Wellsville ranges with an engaging graduate cohort) proved invaluable by providing the perfect environment in which to explore and discover our shared past. In honor of this experience, I try to ask what I can do, as a university administrator, to ensure that students and faculty in my department have the kind of opportunities I enjoyed at USU."
John Barnes, (Robert M. Utley Editorial Fellow, WHQ, M.A. 2004) Communications Director for the Washington Policy Institute in Seattle, WA John Barnes published an article based on his master’s research: “The Struggle to Control the Past: Commemoration, Memory, and the Bear River Massacre of 1863,” The Public Historian 30, no.1 (February 2008): 81-104.
Heather Block Lawton Head of Special Collections for the Minneapolis Public Library
		"The exceptional education I received in Utah State University’s graduate program in history prepared me to excel in my career as an archivist. I am currently employed at a large metropolitan library where I manage an extensive collection of manuscripts and rare books. I landed a job in this highly competitive field largely because my MA degree in history from USU gave me a significant advantage over other applicants. In my position I have the immense privilege of working with historical materials in a variety of ways. During the last month I have lectured a group of potential donors on the history of printing, taught high school students how to incorporate primary source materials into their History Day projects, worked with the mayor to plan a sesquicentennial celebration, assisted a National Public Radio reporter with background research for an upcoming story, created a conservation plan for a million dollar book, and wrote a book review for a professional publication. I love the work do and I credit much of my success to the excellent graduate training I received from USU’s first-rate history faculty. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to spend two years learning from such an extraordinary group of people."
Alan Christensen Admissions Office Mr. Christensen is leaving the Academic Advising Center at the University of Colorado (Denver) to accept a position with the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University in the admissions office.
Lafe Conner (M.A. 2008)
	I loved the hours, days, and weeks I spent pondering in the archives with the wonderful, knowledgeable, and helpful staff at the Merrell-Cazier Library. The graduate seminars were engaging and useful toward completing my thesis. After graduating with an MA from the history department at USU, I spent a year working as an intern on the collections development team in the archives of the LDS Church. My work included oral histories, document appraisal and preservation, and writing and editing. I loved that internship and was well prepared for it. I am now in the second year of a PhD program studying physiological, ecosystem, and global ecology. I'm building on the foundation of environmental history that I gained at Utah State, and I'm learning new tools to analyse historic data and draw conclusions about the relationships between organisms, ecosystems, and changing environments. The years I spent at Utah State are some of the best of my life. The faculty of the history department were extremely supportive and helpful. I took a broad range of classes and also worked with faculty from the departments of English, environmental science, and wildland resources. It was the best program for me. The timing was just right, and I would recommend the program to my friends; in fact, I often do."
Lawrence Culver (M.A. 1997) History Professor
		The graduate program in History at Utah State University provided me with an excellent preparation for success in a doctoral program and in my academic career. For students interested in Environmental History, Native American History, the History of the American West, and other fields, USU offers the opportunity to work with faculty who are prominent and active in their research areas, yet can still provide one-on-one attention unlike in larger doctoral programs. "The Western Historical Quarterly and faculty strengths in related disciplines such as English, Folklore, and Natural Resources make USU an excellent choice for students interested in the history, cultures, and environments of the American West. Having skiing, hiking, and camping opportunities right next to campus, and several spectacular national parks within a day’s drive, also make Logan a good hub for exploring outdoor recreation in the region. My MA from Utah State equipped me with the research skills necessary for success in a Ph.D. program, gave me valuable experience in Public History, and helped lead me to a successful academic career. I would highly recommend USU to students interested in pursuing the graduate study of History."

*James Feldman (M.A. 1996, Editorial Fellow, WHQ* 1994-96) History and Environmental Studies Professor at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh**
Jim Feldman with Chris Conte at Environmental History Conference in Boise, Idaho, 2008		Jim completed his PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2004. His article "The View From Sand Island: Reconsidering the Peripheral Economy, 1880-1940," WHQ 35 no.3 (Autumn 2004): 285-307, won the 2005 Theodore C. Blegen Award for the best article in forest and conservation history from the Forest History Society. He also won the 2004 Bert M. Fireman Award from the Western History Association for that article. He is now an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He is finishing a book on the the history of wilderness at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. "My time at Utah State was tremendously valuable, both professionally and personally. I learned how to be a much better writer, researcher, editor, and historian. When I enrolled in my PhD program, I found that I was far better prepared than many of my peers, largely because of my experiences in the USU history department. I made important connections with faculty and other students, many of which persist today. I met people who became dear friends. And those mountains! I miss them still."
Kimberlee Fitzgerald (B.A. 1997, M.A. 1999) Secret Service Employee Kimberlee Fitzgerald works for the U.S. Secret Service, a division of the Department of the Treasury. Her job can entail protecting either high-ranking U.S. government officials, their wives and families or visiting foreign dignitaries. Fitzgerald’s duties brought her to the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics where she was assigned to safeguard Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Arnold K. Garr (M.A.) Professor and former Department Chair of Church History and Doctrine at BYU Arnold K. Garr is a professor and former Department Chair of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University where he has taught since 1991. Before teaching at BYU he was employed by the Church Educational System for 21 years in Utah, New York, Florida and Colorado. During the 1996-97 academic year, Brother Garr taught at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He received a bachelor’s degree from Weber State College, and a master’s degree from Utah State University, both in history. He also earned a Ph.D. in American History with a minor in LDS Church History from Brigham Young University. He is editor of Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. He has also published several other books, including Joseph Smith: Presidential Candidate and Christopher Columbus: A Latter-day Saint Perspective. Brother Garr also served for eight years as a member of the Church Correlation Committee, Materials Evaluation Division.
David Groesbeck (M.A. 1989) State-wide board member for the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW FUND) Mr. Groesbeck graduated from Utah State in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Spanish. A year later he received another bachelor’s degree from USU in history. From Logan, the Groesbecks traveled to the University of Cambridge, where they both received their Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degrees in Latin American Studies. When they returned to the states, Dave pursued a law degree at Gonzaga University and graduated with a J.D. in 1994. Dave was President of the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Washington, Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and currently serves as a state-wide board member for the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW Fund). Click here for USU Alumni Spotlight.
Kevin Hatfield Adjunct Assistant History Professor, University of Oregon Mr. Hatfield earned his PhD in History from the University of Oregon (2003) where he is currently an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of History. He also serves as the Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives with University Housing and the Director of the Undergraduate Research Symposium with the Robert D. Clark Honors College.
Michael Lansing (*M.A. 1998, Robert M. Utley Editorial Fellow, WHQ* 1996-1998) History Professor at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN** "My time in the MA program at Utah State provided a solid foundation for my Ph.D. program and for my career. The wide range of course offerings belied the small size and intimacy of the program. Furthermore, the chance to work at the Western Historical Quarterly deepened my understanding of how the profession works as well as the scholarship it produces. Finally, the department sports fine historians that insisted on my intellectual and personal development. The amount of time and energy they devoted to fledgling graduate students still continues to amaze me. Keenly aware of the challenges I would face as a professional historian, department members did everything they could to prepare me for success. And if you like the outdoors (as I do), it's hard to imagine a better place to spend two years than Logan."
Paige Lewis (B.A. 1991, M.A. 1994) Director of Policy and External Affairs Paige Lewis is currently the Director of Government Relations for the Colorado Chapter of The Nature Conservancy where she has additional responsibility for leading our Forest Health and Fire Initiative. Her work also includes serving as the Executive Director of the Governor's Forest Health Advisory Council. In her day to day job, she interacts with elected officials, land management agencies, private landowners and a number of interest groups to facilitate long-term stewardship of Colorado's natural environment.
Toni Rae Linenburger Government Historian Toni Linenburger is a historian for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. She was a key figure in a conference held near Hoover Dam in June 2002. The conference marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Bureau under the Newlands Reclamation Act. This law has played a key role in the transformation of the American West.
Beverly Olson History Teacher at Shoshone-Bannock High School (Fort Hall Native American Reservation) Beverly Olson taught Advanced Placement American History at Granite High, Kearns High and Skyline High School for 31 years. She taught at Idaho State University for two years and at Westside High School for a year. Beverly is presently teaching history at the Shoshone-Bannock High School on the Fort Hall Native American Reservation. She received many honors in teaching and was honored with teacher of the year at the high schools where she taught. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in History and English and received a Master's Degree in History from Utah State University. She was honored with a teacher award from the Utah State Historical Association. She also received two William Robertson Coe Fellowships to Stanford Universtiy. Received three Fulbright scholarships to Beirut, Lebanon; Madras, India and Beijing, China. She read and wrote tests for the Educational Testing Service A. P. History division for over twenty years. She completed requirements for a Ph D. in history from the University of Utah in 1978. Beverly has been in the teaching profession for 45 years.
Kathleen Pitcher Tobey Executive Director for Regence Caring Foundation for Children, Board of Directors for Voices for Utah Children Kathleen Pitcher Tobey is executive director of the Regence Caring Foundation for Children, a non-profit organization which provides free dental care to low-income, uninsured children in Utah and Idaho. After earning bachelor's and master’s degrees from Utah State University in American history, she joined the staff of the United States Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Senator Orrin Hatch. She returned from Washington, D.C. to work in Governor Mike Leavitt's Special Projects Office. As executive director, Kathleen fundraised and directed the Governor’s major political events. She served as Leavitt's Deputy Campaign Director during his successful 2000 reelection bid. During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, she managed the Governor’s VIP social events, including the opening reception hosted by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and attended by President and Mrs. Bush. Kathleen currently serves on the Board of Directors for Voices for Utah Children, the leading child advocacy organization in Utah, and is an active member of the United Way of Greater Salt Lake’s Community Change Council and the Utah Oral Health Coalition. She is a committed and passionate member of the child advocacy community, lobbying decision makers about the health care needs of low-income children and families. She is also active in the local arts community, an interest ignited by her appointment to the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors in 2002 (she served as board vice chair and committee chair for arts education). Pitcher Tobey is a graduate of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce's "Leadership Utah" program and was featured in Utah Business magazine as a "Rising Stars: 40 Under 40" recipient in 2006.

	Troy Reeves Head, Oral History Program, University Archives and Records Management Services, UW-Madison "My history department graduate school experience bettered--Is this a word or a Bushism--me in myriad ways. I left Logan as a better researcher, writer, and speaker. I left with a better appreciation for the natural environment, due to all the walk, hikes, and bikes that I tried. I also left Logan with colleagues who have become my dearest friends. Three of my former grad school comrades served as groomsmen at my wedding, plus now that I reside in Madison, WI, I have lunch with two of them once a month. And, I left Logan with a master’s degree, which gave me the chance to apply and to be hired for permanent positions at public history and university archives settings."
Brett Rushforth Assistant History Professor, College of William & Mary "The USU master's program in history was an ideal start to my academic career. Although highly demanding, the environment at Utah State was collegial and supportive, and small enough that I received a lot of individual attention. The faculty are first-rate scholars and teachers, which was no surprise to me, but I was stunned by the quality of students in my cohort. Many of them are now fellow academics who continue to excel in their fields. Many others have succeeded in law, public history, or other related careers. I think I really only appreciated how strong USU's program was when I began my Ph.D. program and found that my time at USU had given me an unusually solid foundation in historiography, research methods, writing, and teaching. I cannot endorse the program strongly enough." Brett Rushforth teaches courses on the history of early America, American Indians, and comparative race and slavery at the College of William & Mary. His research focuses on cultural, diplomatic, and commercial relationships between Europeans and the Native peoples of the Atlantic world. His first book, co-edited with his colleague Paul Mapp, is Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents (Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2008). He is currently finishing revisions on a second book, Savage Bonds: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, which explores the enslavement of American Indians by French colonists and their Native allies. It will be published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. He is also at work, with Christopher Hodson, on a study of the early modern French Atlantic. Under contract with Basic Books, its working title is Discovering Empire: France and the Atlantic World from the Age of Columbus to the Rise of Napoleon. See this Web site for more information on Brett's accomplishments.
Eric G. Swedin (M.S. 1991) Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technology Eric went on to earn a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (1996) in the History of Science and Technology. He is currently an Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technologies at Weber State University. His publications include numerous articles, three history books, and a historical mystery novel, The Killing of Grebird (2004). Three more books are coming out in 2009, including When Angels Wept: A What-If History of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Potomac Books).
Ann Vileisis Writer, researcher, and editor "My time as a student in the USU History Dept. helped me to develop concrete skills as a researcher and writer and also gave me the opportunity to follow my own research interests. The professors were excellent, inspiring teachers--great people to learn from. USU’s stunning mountain setting and Logan’s small town atmosphere added to the experience.” Ann Vileisis is an independent scholar and writer. Her first book, Discovering the Unknown Landscape: A History of America’s Wetlands (Island Press, 1997) was recognized with 2 prestigious history awards: the American Historical Association's Herbert Feis Award (1999), for the year's best book by an independent scholar or public historian, and the American Society for Environmental History's George Perkins Marsh Prize (1999) for the best environmental history book of 1997 and 1998. Her new book, Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From and Why We Need to Get it Back (Island Press, 2007), has been reviewed widely in publications including The Washington Post. See this Web site for more information on Ann Vileisis' accomplishments.
Jennifer Walele (O'Neil) ( B.A. and M.A. 2001) Government Historian Last year Jennifer finished another master's degree (Library Science, University of Arizona) and was then awarded a fellowship at Princeton's Archive Library where she was subsequently hired as a temporary employee. She now lives in Washington DC and works as a historian at the State Department. She writes that she loves her job and enjoys living there.

With a degree in history, you can go on to do almost anything you desire. Some of our graduates are now professors of history, secondary school teachers, librarians, archivists, writers, government employees, museum curators, etc. Check out what they have accomplished and what they have to say about our graduate program in history.

USU Reunion at the American Society of Environmental History Conference, Portland 2010.
From left to right, Chris Conte, Michael Lansing, Troy Reeves, Lawrence Culver, and Jim Feldman.

Steve Amerman (M.A. 1996)
History Professor at Southern Connecticut State University

Steve Amerman is an Associate Professor of History at Southern Connecticut State University. He teaches courses in American Indian History, American Frontier History, and American Environmental History. His book Urban Indians in Phoenix Schools, 1940-2000 (University of Nebraska Press) will be coming out in the Fall of 2010.

Todd Anderson
Department Administrator, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin - Madison

"In my opinion, the value of the 'graduate' experience is much more than the sum of the degrees granted, tenure-track positions obtained or job markets stormed. Graduate school should be about the cultivation of a rich intellectual life. Already a career civil servant, I chose to go to graduate school for the intellectual journey and USU did not disappoint. The faculty and staff of the history department fostered the kind of discourse, research and exploration I craved. Although I did not continue along a traditional academic track, my experience in the history department at USU (including, but not limited to, working with committed and enthusiastic faculty and hiking the Wasatch and Wellsville ranges with an engaging graduate cohort) proved invaluable by providing the perfect environment in which to explore and discover our shared past. In honor of this experience, I try to ask what I can do, as a university administrator, to ensure that students and faculty in my department have the kind of opportunities I enjoyed at USU."

John Barnes, (Robert M. Utley Editorial Fellow, WHQ, M.A. 2004)
Communications Director for the Washington Policy Institute in Seattle, WA

John Barnes published an article based on his master’s research: “The Struggle to Control the Past: Commemoration, Memory, and the Bear River Massacre of 1863,” The Public Historian 30, no.1 (February 2008): 81-104.

Heather Block Lawton
Head of Special Collections for the Minneapolis Public Library

"The exceptional education I received in Utah State University’s graduate program in history prepared me to excel in my career as an archivist. I am currently employed at a large metropolitan library where I manage an extensive collection of manuscripts and rare books. I landed a job in this highly competitive field largely because my MA degree in history from USU gave me a significant advantage over other applicants. In my position I have the immense privilege of working with historical materials in a variety of ways. During the last month I have lectured a group of potential donors on the history of printing, taught high school students how to incorporate primary source materials into their History Day projects, worked with the mayor to plan a sesquicentennial celebration, assisted a National Public Radio reporter with background research for an upcoming story, created a conservation plan for a million dollar book, and wrote a book review for a professional publication. I love the work do and I credit much of my success to the excellent graduate training I received from USU’s first-rate history faculty. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to spend two years learning from such an extraordinary group of people."

Alan Christensen
Admissions Office

Mr. Christensen is leaving the Academic Advising Center at the University of Colorado (Denver) to accept a position with the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University in the admissions office.

Lafe Conner (M.A. 2008)

I loved the hours, days, and weeks I spent pondering in the archives with the wonderful, knowledgeable, and helpful staff at the Merrell-Cazier Library. The graduate seminars were engaging and useful toward completing my thesis. After graduating with an MA from the history department at USU, I spent a year working as an intern on the collections development team in the archives of the LDS Church. My work included oral histories, document appraisal and preservation, and writing and editing. I loved that internship and was well prepared for it. I am now in the second year of a PhD program studying physiological, ecosystem, and global ecology. I'm building on the foundation of environmental history that I gained at Utah State, and I'm learning new tools to analyse historic data and draw conclusions about the relationships between organisms, ecosystems, and changing environments. The years I spent at Utah State are some of the best of my life. The faculty of the history department were extremely supportive and helpful. I took a broad range of classes and also worked with faculty from the departments of English, environmental science, and wildland resources. It was the best program for me. The timing was just right, and I would recommend the program to my friends; in fact, I often do."

Lawrence Culver (M.A. 1997)
History Professor

The graduate program in History at Utah State University provided me with an excellent preparation for success in a doctoral program and in my academic career. For students interested in Environmental History, Native American History, the History of the American West, and other fields, USU offers the opportunity to work with faculty who are prominent and active in their research areas, yet can still provide one-on-one attention unlike in larger doctoral programs.

"The Western Historical Quarterly and faculty strengths in related disciplines such as English, Folklore, and Natural Resources make USU an excellent choice for students interested in the history, cultures, and environments of the American West. Having skiing, hiking, and camping opportunities right next to campus, and several spectacular national parks within a day’s drive, also make Logan a good hub for exploring outdoor recreation in the region. My MA from Utah State equipped me with the research skills necessary for success in a Ph.D. program, gave me valuable experience in Public History, and helped lead me to a successful academic career. I would highly recommend USU to students interested in pursuing the graduate study of History."

James Feldman (M.A. 1996, Editorial Fellow, WHQ 1994-96)
History and Environmental Studies Professor at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Jim Feldman with Chris Conte at Environmental History Conference in Boise, Idaho, 2008

Jim completed his PhD in history at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in 2004. His article "The View From Sand Island: Reconsidering the Peripheral Economy, 1880-1940," WHQ 35 no.3 (Autumn 2004): 285-307, won the 2005 Theodore C. Blegen Award for the best article in forest and conservation history from the Forest History Society. He also won the 2004 Bert M. Fireman Award from the Western History Association for that article. He is now an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. He is finishing a book on the the history of wilderness at Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

"My time at Utah State was tremendously valuable, both professionally and personally. I learned how to be a much better writer, researcher, editor, and historian. When I enrolled in my PhD program, I found that I was far better prepared than many of my peers, largely because of my experiences in the USU history department. I made important connections with faculty and other students, many of which persist today. I met people who became dear friends. And those mountains! I miss them still."

Kimberlee Fitzgerald (B.A. 1997, M.A. 1999)

Secret Service Employee

Kimberlee Fitzgerald works for the U.S. Secret Service, a division of the Department of the Treasury. Her job can entail protecting either high-ranking U.S. government officials, their wives and families or visiting foreign dignitaries. Fitzgerald’s duties brought her to the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics where she was assigned to safeguard Lynne Cheney, the wife of Vice-President Dick Cheney.

Arnold K. Garr (M.A.)
Professor and former Department Chair of Church History and Doctrine at BYU

Arnold K. Garr is a professor and former Department Chair of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University where he has taught since 1991. Before teaching at BYU he was employed by the Church Educational System for 21 years in Utah, New York, Florida and Colorado. During the 1996-97 academic year, Brother Garr taught at the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He received a bachelor’s degree from Weber State College, and a master’s degree from Utah State University, both in history. He also earned a Ph.D. in American History with a minor in LDS Church History from Brigham Young University. He is editor of Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History. He has also published several other books, including Joseph Smith: Presidential Candidate and Christopher Columbus: A Latter-day Saint Perspective. Brother Garr also served for eight years as a member of the Church Correlation Committee, Materials Evaluation Division.

David Groesbeck (M.A. 1989)
State-wide board member for the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW FUND)

Mr. Groesbeck graduated from Utah State in 1988 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and Spanish. A year later he received another bachelor’s degree from USU in history. From Logan, the Groesbecks traveled to the University of Cambridge, where they both received their Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degrees in Latin American Studies. When they returned to the states, Dave pursued a law degree at Gonzaga University and graduated with a J.D. in 1994. Dave was President of the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Washington, Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, and currently serves as a state-wide board member for the Legal Aid for Washington Fund (LAW Fund). Click here for USU Alumni Spotlight.

Kevin Hatfield
Adjunct Assistant History Professor, University of Oregon

Mr. Hatfield earned his PhD in History from the University of Oregon (2003) where he is currently an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of History. He also serves as the Assistant Director of Academic Initiatives with University Housing and the Director of the Undergraduate Research Symposium with the Robert D. Clark Honors College.

Michael Lansing (M.A. 1998, Robert M. Utley Editorial Fellow, WHQ 1996-1998)
History Professor at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN

"My time in the MA program at Utah State provided a solid foundation for my Ph.D. program and for my career. The wide range of course offerings belied the small size and intimacy of the program. Furthermore, the chance to work at the Western Historical Quarterly deepened my understanding of how the profession works as well as the scholarship it produces. Finally, the department sports fine historians that insisted on my intellectual and personal development. The amount of time and energy they devoted to fledgling graduate students still continues to amaze me. Keenly aware of the challenges I would face as a professional historian, department members did everything they could to prepare me for success. And if you like the outdoors (as I do), it's hard to imagine a better place to spend two years than Logan."

Paige Lewis (B.A. 1991, M.A. 1994)

Director of Policy and External Affairs

Paige Lewis is currently the Director of Government Relations for the Colorado Chapter of The Nature Conservancy where she has additional responsibility for leading our Forest Health and Fire Initiative. Her work also includes serving as the Executive Director of the Governor's Forest Health Advisory Council. In her day to day job, she interacts with elected officials, land management agencies, private landowners and a number of interest groups to facilitate long-term stewardship of Colorado's natural environment.

Toni Rae Linenburger
Government Historian

Toni Linenburger is a historian for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. She was a key figure in a conference held near Hoover Dam in June 2002. The conference marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Bureau under the Newlands Reclamation Act. This law has played a key role in the transformation of the American West.

Beverly Olson
History Teacher at Shoshone-Bannock High School (Fort Hall Native American Reservation)

Beverly Olson taught Advanced Placement American History at Granite High, Kearns High and Skyline High School for 31 years. She taught at Idaho State University for two years and at Westside High School for a year. Beverly is presently teaching history at the Shoshone-Bannock High School on the Fort Hall Native American Reservation. She received many honors in teaching and was honored with teacher of the year at the high schools where she taught. She graduated from Brigham Young University with a major in History and English and received a Master's Degree in History from Utah State University. She was honored with a teacher award from the Utah State Historical Association. She also received two William Robertson Coe Fellowships to Stanford Universtiy. Received three Fulbright scholarships to Beirut, Lebanon; Madras, India and Beijing, China. She read and wrote tests for the Educational Testing Service A. P. History division for over twenty years. She completed requirements for a Ph D. in history from the University of Utah in 1978. Beverly has been in the teaching profession for 45 years.

Kathleen Pitcher Tobey
Executive Director for Regence Caring Foundation for Children, Board of Directors for Voices for Utah Children

Kathleen Pitcher Tobey is executive director of the Regence Caring Foundation for Children, a non-profit organization which provides free dental care to low-income, uninsured children in Utah and Idaho. After earning bachelor's and master’s degrees from Utah State University in American history, she joined the staff of the United States Judiciary Committee under the leadership of Senator Orrin Hatch. She returned from Washington, D.C. to work in Governor Mike Leavitt's Special Projects Office. As executive director, Kathleen fundraised and directed the Governor’s major political events. She served as Leavitt's Deputy Campaign Director during his successful 2000 reelection bid. During the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, she managed the Governor’s VIP social events, including the opening reception hosted by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and attended by President and Mrs. Bush.

Kathleen currently serves on the Board of Directors for Voices for Utah Children, the leading child advocacy organization in Utah, and is an active member of the United Way of Greater Salt Lake’s Community Change Council and the Utah Oral Health Coalition. She is a committed and passionate member of the child advocacy community, lobbying decision makers about the health care needs of low-income children and families. She is also active in the local arts community, an interest ignited by her appointment to the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors in 2002 (she served as board vice chair and committee chair for arts education). Pitcher Tobey is a graduate of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce's "Leadership Utah" program and was featured in Utah Business magazine as a "Rising Stars: 40 Under 40" recipient in 2006.

Troy Reeves
Head, Oral History Program, University Archives and Records Management Services, UW-Madison

"My history department graduate school experience bettered--Is this a word or a Bushism--me in myriad ways. I left Logan as a better researcher, writer, and speaker. I left with a better appreciation for the natural environment, due to all the walk, hikes, and bikes that I tried. I also left Logan with colleagues who have become my dearest friends. Three of my former grad school comrades served as groomsmen at my wedding, plus now that I reside in Madison, WI, I have lunch with two of them once a month. And, I left Logan with a master’s degree, which gave me the chance to apply and to be hired for permanent positions at public history and university archives settings."

Brett Rushforth
Assistant History Professor, College of William & Mary

"The USU master's program in history was an ideal start to my academic career. Although highly demanding, the environment at Utah State was collegial and supportive, and small enough that I received a lot of individual attention. The faculty are first-rate scholars and teachers, which was no surprise to me, but I was stunned by the quality of students in my cohort. Many of them are now fellow academics who continue to excel in their fields. Many others have succeeded in law, public history, or other related careers. I think I really only appreciated how strong USU's program was when I began my Ph.D. program and found that my time at USU had given me an unusually solid foundation in historiography, research methods, writing, and teaching. I cannot endorse the program strongly enough."

Brett Rushforth teaches courses on the history of early America, American Indians, and comparative race and slavery at the College of William & Mary. His research focuses on cultural, diplomatic, and commercial relationships between Europeans and the Native peoples of the Atlantic world. His first book, co-edited with his colleague Paul Mapp, is Colonial North America and the Atlantic World: A History in Documents (Pearson/Prentice-Hall, 2008). He is currently finishing revisions on a second book, Savage Bonds: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, which explores the enslavement of American Indians by French colonists and their Native allies. It will be published by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. He is also at work, with Christopher Hodson, on a study of the early modern French Atlantic. Under contract with Basic Books, its working title is Discovering Empire: France and the Atlantic World from the Age of Columbus to the Rise of Napoleon.

See this Web site for more information on Brett's accomplishments.

Eric G. Swedin (M.S. 1991)
Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technology

Eric went on to earn a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (1996) in the History of Science and Technology. He is currently an Associate Professor in Information Systems and Technologies at Weber State University. His publications include numerous articles, three history books, and a historical mystery novel, The Killing of Grebird (2004). Three more books are coming out in 2009, including When Angels Wept: A What-If History of the Cuban Missile Crisis (Potomac Books).

Ann Vileisis
Writer, researcher, and editor

"My time as a student in the USU History Dept. helped me to develop concrete skills as a researcher and writer and also gave me the opportunity to follow my own research interests. The professors were excellent, inspiring teachers--great people to learn from. USU’s stunning mountain setting and Logan’s small town atmosphere added to the experience.”

Ann Vileisis is an independent scholar and writer. Her first book, Discovering the Unknown Landscape: A History of America’s Wetlands (Island Press, 1997) was recognized with 2 prestigious history awards: the American Historical Association's Herbert Feis Award (1999), for the year's best book by an independent scholar or public historian, and the American Society for Environmental History's George Perkins Marsh Prize (1999) for the best environmental history book of 1997 and 1998.

Her new book, Kitchen Literacy: How We Lost Knowledge of Where Food Comes From and Why We Need to Get it Back (Island Press, 2007), has been reviewed widely in publications including The Washington Post.

See this Web site for more information on Ann Vileisis' accomplishments.

Jennifer Walele (O'Neil) ( B.A. and M.A. 2001)
Government Historian

Last year Jennifer finished another master's degree (Library Science, University of Arizona) and was then awarded a fellowship at Princeton's Archive Library where she was subsequently hired as a temporary employee. She now lives in Washington DC and works as a historian at the State Department. She writes that she loves her job and enjoys living there.



Mark Damen designed this web site and Diane Buist is the current web master. Comments? Questions about the History Department? Monica.Ingold@usu.edu Comments? Questions about the web site? Mark.Damen@usu.edu or Diane.Buist@usu.edu

Utah State University Logan UT 84322 Campus Operator: 435.797.1000	Department of History , Main 323 Logan, UT 84322-0710 435.797.1290 Fax 435.797.3899