STAFF

As Executive Director of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH), Carin Berkowitz establishes the strategic direction for NJCH and serves as a passionate advocate for the humanities across New Jersey. She leads the efforts of NJCH’s Board and a talented staff of six to explore, cultivate, and champion the public humanities in communities around the state, with a focus upon diversifying New Jersey’s remarkable cultural sector.

Carin joined NJCH in 2018 after having served for eight years as the Director of Historical Research at the Science History Institute, a museum, library, and center for scholarship in Philadelphia. At the Institute, she developed a research center that responded effectively to a variety of constituencies, translating scholarly humanistic inquiry into meaningful and accessible programs in the form of public lectures, conferences, a book series, and a social media presence.  She served as an elected member of the Nominating Committee of the 11,000-member American Historical Association (AHA), and is currently the local co-chair for the AHA 2023 annual meeting in Philadelphia; she has also been on the elected governing Council of the History of Science Society and is a current member of the Board of Trustees of ArtPride. Carin has a B.A. in English Literature from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in the history of science from Cornell University and brings her love of interdisciplinary work to her role at NJCH. She has published extensively on the historical intersections of art, science, medicine, and pedagogy, including the monograph Charles Bell and the Anatomy of Reform and the co-edited collection Science Museums in Transition: Anglo-American Cultures of Display in the Nineteenth Century.  When she is not at work, she embraces the joyful chaos of her household, with her two wonderful children and three rescue dogs, and seeks peaceful moments by hiking in wild and solitary places.

James Kirkland administers NJCH’s grants program, assists with other programming initiatives, and brings his love for systems and process to examine issues of evaluation, compliance, and data collection. He joined the staff of the council in 2013 and served as the office manager until he was promoted to Program Officer in 2019. He graduated with an AAS in Paralegal Studies from the Community College of Philadelphia and BA in Liberal Studies from Temple University and has previous experience as a historic tour guide, marketing database administrator, carpenter, waiter, and station chef. He lives in Jersey City and enjoys cooking; fitness; playing video games; and listening to, playing, and reading about the history and science of music. He is proud to serve the cultural institutions of NJ and is often assisted in that mission by his cat, Harley.

Gigi Naglak oversees and administers programs that serve New Jersey’s outstanding cultural institutions, including grants, Community History, and capacity-building workshops. She joined the staff of NJCH in 2016 after more than a decade in museum education and public engagement. Gigi has a BA in history and theatre arts from Drew University and an MA in Performance Studies from King’s College London. Outside of work, Gigi is a theatre performer and producer, avid lover of the outdoors, and community advocate. She is honored to work with such thoughtful and creative institutions around the state to examine the past, consider our present circumstances, and imagine the future we wish to create.

Valerie Popp, Ph.D. works cross-departmentally to envision, develop, and execute programmatic initiatives that uphold NJCH’s mission and contribute to New Jersey’s diverse humanities ecosystem. Prior to joining NJCH in 2021, she was the Senior Program Officer at the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) in New York City, where she played a lead role in administering ACLS’s $25 million portfolio of fellowships and grants for humanities and social sciences scholars worldwide. She also has worked as an institutional giving manager for national nonprofits and as a researcher for New York Times-bestselling financial journalist Beth Kobliner. A proud first-generation college graduate, Valerie holds a B.A. in English literature from Yale University and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her publications span the fields of modernist and contemporary poetry, disability studies, and African American literary and cultural studies. When she isn’t creating new humanities programs, Valerie enjoys traveling, writing short stories and book reviews, and hiking.

Colleen Tryner supports operations across the NJCH staff, allowing the organization to achieve its mission to serve the New Jersey cultural sector.  She joins the NJCH staff after five years with the Alice Paul Institute (API), a South Jersey based non-profit focused on history and leadership. At API, Colleen held several roles, but her final title was Operations Director. In that role she managed the office workflow, bookkeeping, and site maintenance of a National Historic Landmark while being a connection point for volunteers, interns, and other community members. Colleen is excited to bring her passion for management to NJCH where she handles bookkeeping, office management, procedure development and maintenance, and database upkeep. She has always loved the humanities, graduating from Rowan University with a B.A. in History and Art, minors in Art History and Business Administration, and a concentration in International Studies. Colleen was raised in Gloucester County and remains a South Jersey resident. When not at work, she can be found enjoying board games, tending to her plant children, and enjoying time with friends!

Sam Hege is a doctoral candidate at Rutgers University-New Brunswick and is currently working on a dissertation titled “‘The Winds of Money’: Race, Work, and Water in the Texas Panhandle, 1910-1985.” He is a historian of environmental justice, industrial agriculture, and water in the American west, with a special focus on how contests over resources shape the formation of political and social movements. He is committed to building environmental and social equity both in and outside of the classroom and is excited to work with the NJCH team and their wonderful collaborators throughout the state.

Montrell Sanders is an intern at NJCH who supports the programs team and helps them achieve their programmatic ambitions. A PhD student at Rutgers University-Camden, Montrell joined NJCH in 2021 and brings to the organization his passion and skill for evaluation with a focus on racial equity. His duties include the creation, implementation, and analysis of program evaluations, supporting programs team goals, and grant evaluation. While the humanities have always interested Montrell, he received his BA in Sociology from the University of North Florida with a minor in Social Welfare, and his MPA and MSc from Rutgers University-Camden. He is very excited to be able to use his knowledge to aid a wonderful organization in its mission. When not at work, he can be found napping with his fur child, Leroy Jenkins.