Our People

Meet the Director

John N. Pearce, Director of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library

John N. Pearce has more than 40 years of experience with history museums and historic preservation organizations, and as a writer and teacher on those subjects.

At the University of Mary Washington since 1984, he is director of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library and senior lecturer in the Department of Historic Preservation. In 1999 he was also appointed director of the new James Monroe Presidential Center at UMW, which houses the offices of the publishing project, The Papers of James Monroe. He was co-associate editor (with David Meschutt and editor Lee Langston-Harrison) of the museum's 1992 publication, Images of a President: Portraits of James Monroe, and wrote the Foreword, "A Family Saves the Past, and Gives It to All of Us," for our 1997 publication, A Presidential Legacy: The Monroe Collection at the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, by Lee Langston-Harrison.

A graduate of Yale and the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware, John Pearce's prior work has included duties as Associate Curator of Cultural History, Smithsonian Institution; Curator and Director of Properties, National Trust for Historic Preservation; State Historic Preservation Officer for Maryland; Associate Professor of Urban Planning and American Civilization at The George Washington University; and Executive Editor of the magazine Chesapeake Country Life. He has written a number of articles, including the article "Architecture" in the Dictionary of American History and the article "United States of America" in the Encyclopedia of World Art, and he has jointly authored the article on "Historic Preservation" (with W. Brown Morton III and Carter L. Hudgins) in the recently published Local History Encyclopedia, edited by Carol Kammen. He is a member of a number of historical and preservation organizations. His direct telephone/voicemail is (540) 654-2112; e-mail: jpearce@umw.edu

Meet the Assistant Director & Curator

Meghan C. Budinger, Assistant Director & Curator of the James Monroe Museum & Memorial Library

Meghan C. Budinger joined the staff of the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library in October of 2004 as Assistant Director and Curator. She comes to the Museum from the Lee-Fendall House Museum in Alexandria, and also the Fine Arts Program of the U.S. General Services Administration in Washington.

Ms. Budinger’s past experiences include time in the Office of the Curator at the White House, the National Park Service White House Liaison Division, the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center in Pennsylvania, and Threshold Studios in Alexandria. She has worked on several major exhibitions around the country, including Beyond Lewis and Clark: The Army Explores the West sponsored by the Virginia Historical Society, What Floats Your Boat at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, and The Underground Railroad in Southwestern Pennsylvania at the Heinz Center in Pittsburgh.

Ms. Budinger received her Master’s in Museum Studies from The George Washington University, and her Bachelor’s in American History at Muskingum College in New Concord, OH.

Office and Tour Staff

Cathleen A. Romine, Office Manager
Linda H. Thomas, Membership and Campaign Coordinator

Docents:

Stephanie Armbrust

Sue Azzarito

Heidi Carlson-Stello

Carrie Dotson

Jessica Jackson

Stephanie Jacobe

Carol King

Susan Prescott

Keren Pritchett

Suzanne Sawan

Regina Spencer

Charles Tate III

Jessie Watkins

Linda Westerman

Kelly Romine

Volunteers:
James "Jay" Harrison III
Dr. John Mac Isaac

Site History