Professor of History at George Mason University and Emeritus Director of the National Museum of African American History and the National Museum of American History
Full Biography
Spencer R. Crew has worked in public history institutions for more than thirty years. He is currently the Clarence J. Robinson Professor of History at George Mason University and Emeritus Director of the National Museum of African American History and the National Museum of American History. Previous to Mason he served as president of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center for six years and worked at the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution for twenty years. Nine of those years, he served as the director of NMAH. He most recently served as the interim Director at the National Museum of African American History and Culture until January of 2021. At each of those institutions, he sought to make history accessible to the public through innovative and inclusive exhibitions and public programs. Crew has published extensively in the areas of African American and Public History. He also has curated numerous exhibitions the most recent one at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He is a graduate of Brown University and holds a master's degree and a doctorate from Rutgers University. His most recent publication is Thurgood Marshall A Life in American History
