Callie Hawkins
CEO & Executive Director
A staff member since 2009 and longtime Director of Programming, Callie assumed the role CEO & Executive Director in 2023. She is responsible for innovative leadership of the National Monument and for providing overall direction for all aspects of operations. Additionally, Callie co-hosts Q&Abe, the site’s award-winning podcast, which has reached thousands of people in more than 80 countries. During her tenure, Callie has spearheaded projects that won national and international recognition, including awards from the American Association for State and Local History, American Alliance of Museums, National Council on Public History, and a presidential medal in 2016 for Students Opposing Slavery, a youth education program for high school students dedicated to raising awareness about modern slavery. In the wake of the global pandemic of 2020, she created the award-winning exhibit, Reflections on Grief and Childloss, which has been groundbreaking in the museum field for providing a place to grieve, remember, and openly discuss loss. She has contributed to numerous publications, including the Journal of MuseumEducation, the Public Historian, and History Matters.
