Meet the 2022 National Humanities Conference Planning Committee

The 2022 National Humanities Conference (NHC) Planning Committee met virtually in August 2021, to begin its work on the 2022 conference scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, California from November 10-13, 2022. The National Humanities Conference is a joint partnership between the Federation of State Humanities Councils (Federation) and the National Humanities Alliance (NHA). In 2022, the conference will be hosted by California Humanities. The committee is chaired by Adam Davis, executive director of Oregon Humanities, and includes board and staff members from the Federation, NHA, and California Humanities, as well as public humanists in California and humanities council staff from Oregon, Minnesota, Nevada, and Puerto Rico. This committee is responsible for developing and issuing the 2022 Call for Proposals, identifying and selecting speakers, and selecting sessions for the 2022 National Humanities Conference.

“It’s been a while since practitioners of the public humanities have been able to gather, so it’s hard not to be excited about what we’ll share and how much we’ll learn from one another this coming November. That we’ll be convening in California, and exploring change, motion, and energy, only adds to my anticipation. Members of the conference planning committee, the Federation, and the National Humanities Alliance are really looking forward to a robust, productive, and enjoyable gathering,” said Adam Davis, chair of the 2022 NHC Planning Committee and executive director of Oregon Humanities.

The 2022 National Humanities Conference is a joint partnership between the Federation and NHA. In 2022, the conference will be hosted by California Humanities.

“Sunny and vibrant Los Angeles is the perfect place to gather at the first in-person National Humanities Conference since 2019. California Humanities is proud to host what promises to be an energetic and kinetic experience in the City of Angels, a place with a vast array of histories, voices, and cultures – not to mention amazing food and natural beauty,” said Julie Fry, president and CEO of California Humanities.

Following is the full list of 2022 committee members, their titles, and professional affiliations.

  • Adam Davis, executive director, Oregon Humanities (chair)
  • Susan D. Anderson, history curator and program manager, California African American Museum
  • Christina Barr, executive director, Nevada Humanities
  • Margarita Benítez, executive director, Puerto Rican Endowment for the Humanities 
  • Genevieve Carpio, associate professor, Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies University of California, Los Angeles 
  • Kenya Davis-Hayes, professor of history, California Baptist University
  • Juan Devis, chief creative officer, Public Media Group of Southern California KCET/PBS SoCal/LinkTV
  • Julie Fry, president & CEO, California Humanities 
  • Felicia Kelley, project & evaluation director, California Humanities
  • Lucena Lau Valle, program officer, California Humanities
  • Peter Mancall, divisional dean for the social sciences, University of Southern California
  • Rose McGee, humanities officer, Minnesota Humanities Center 
  • Rick Noguchi, chief operating officer, Japanese American National Museum
  • John Phillip Santos, university distinguished scholar in Mestizo cultural studies to the Honors College, University of Texas at San Antonio; Federation board member 
  • Amanda Swain, humanities center executive director, University of California, Irvine 
  • John Szabo, city librarian, Los Angeles Public Library 
  • Lisa Vollendorf, interim provost and chief academic officer, University of Northern Colorado 

The committee will convene in mid-April for a planning meeting and will participate in several other virtual meetings throughout the year. Subcommittees of the planning committee meet regularly as well.

For any conference-related questions, please email us at events@statehumanities.org.

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