NJCH’s Valerie Popp is an expert program-builder and scholar with a passion for working at the intersection of journalism and the humanities. At NJCH, she is the creator and program lead of Informed NJ, a collection of projects that promote civic engagement through journalism and media trainings, networking opportunities, and collaborations with partners such as media outlets, local journalism projects, and higher education institutions. She previously co-directed the Luce/ACLS Program in Religion, Journalism and International Affairs at the American Council of Learned Societies; this program deepened ties between scholars and journalists working in the field of global religions through fellowships and institutional grants.
She especially enjoys fostering community college partnerships and has helped steward initiatives such as NJCH’s Museum on Main Street Smithsonian exhibit tour of six NJ community colleges; an upcoming convening of humanities community college faculty with the New Jersey Council of County Colleges; and the Mellon/ACLS Community College Faculty Fellowships, which supported the research ambitions of faculty at two-year colleges across the US.
