
Exec Dir University Museums
Academic Degrees
Scott H. Harris became Director of the James Monroe Museum in July, 2011. The museum, which is administered by the University of Mary Washington, is the world’s largest repository of artifacts and archives related to James Monroe, fifth President of the United States. From March, 2001 to June, 2011, Scott was Director of the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, owned by the Virginia Military Institute. He was Director of Historic Resources for the City of Manassas from 1995 until February, 2001, and Curator of The Manassas Museum from 1988 to 1995. Prior to his work in Manassas, Scott was a consulting historian with the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities in Richmond and an historical interpreter with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.Scott currently serves as president of the Fredericksburg Museums Council and as Southeast Representative on the board of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries. He is a past president of the Virginia Association of Museums and served previously on the boards of the Stafford Museum and Cultural Center and Virginia Civil War Trails, Inc., and the Advisory Council of the Virginia Bicentennial of the American War of 1812 Commission. Scott is a peer reviewer for the Museum Assessment and Accreditation programs of the American Alliance of Museums.Scott received his BA with honors in History and Historic Preservation from the University of Mary Washington in 1983. In 1988 he received an MA in History and Museum Administration from the College of William and Mary. Scott is also a graduate of the Seminar for Historical Administration and the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries Leadership Institute at Northwestern University.