(Trenton, NJ) – Carin Berkowitz, Ph.D. was unanimously selected by the Board of Trustees to be the new Executive Director of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH).  Berkowitz assumes leadership of the organization on October 15, 2018.  The Council’s mission is to harness the power of the humanities to strengthen our pluralistic society. The Council does this work by bringing disciplines such as history, literature, and philosophy out of the classroom and, through public programs held throughout the state, recasting them as essential tools to help us understand ourselves and others.

For the last eight years, Berkowitz has worked at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, most recently as the Director of the Center for Historical Research.  She has extensive experience developing strategies and programs for public humanities advancement on a local and national level.  Berkowitz is a lecturer in the Departments of History and Sociology of Science and of Visual Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.  She recently completed a term on the Governing Council for the History of Science Society and serves on the Nominating Committee for the American Historical Association.  She holds a Ph.D. in the History and Philosophy of Science from Cornell University and a B.A. with honors from Johns Hopkins University. Berkowitz is the author of Charles Bell and the Anatomy of Reform as well as several journal articles and is co-editor of Science Museums in Transition: Cultures of Display in Nineteenth Century Britain and America.

“Carin Berkowitz’s vision for and commitment to the public humanities is inspiring,” said Kiki Jamieson, NJCH Board of Trustees Chair. “Carin’s talent, experience, and enthusiasm, especially for public programming, will further the work of NJCH as a grantmaker, program provider, partner, convener, and innovator. All of us at the Council are delighted that Carin is joining NJCH. She is an effective and energetic advocate for the humanities and their importance to a successful and diverse community and we look forward to continued success under her leadership.”

“I am delighted to join the talented staff of the New Jersey Council for the Humanities,” said Berkowitz.  “The Council’s work fostering scholarship and public programming and making the rich stories that come out of New Jersey accessible to all of its residents is crucially important, reminding us that we are all linked by our common humanity.”

Berkowitz succeeds Interim Executive Director David Miller who served NJCH since former Executive Director, Briann Greenfield, Ph.D., departed in June to become Executive Director of the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

A PDF of this press release is available here.

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About the New Jersey Council for the Humanities

The New Jersey Council for the Humanities is a nonprofit state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. NJCH harnesses the power of the humanities to strengthen our pluralistic society. We envision a New Jersey that delights in diversity, appreciates that there are no easy answers, and finds joy and understanding in the humanities. We work statewide with cultural and community organizations to bring dynamic programming to the local level.  More information is available at njhumanities.org.

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