Board Of Directors

American Heritage’s Chairman, Robert Breeden, was the longtime chairman and CEO of the White House Historical Association, which he helped to found. He also helped create the U.S. Capitol Historical Society and served as its Chairman. As Senior Vice President of the National Geographic Society, Mr. Breeden managed six divisions, sold more than 100 million books, and launched National Geographic Traveler and the Society’s children’s magazine. He built the Society’s Educational Media division from a small operation selling filmstrips into a dominant enterprise, selling over 500 high-quality products to schools.

Dr. Bruce Cole is President and CEO of the American Revolution Center at Valley Forge. The American Revolution Center will provide a place for the collection of artifacts, manuscripts, and objects pertaining to the American Revolution. Prior to joining the Center in January 2009, Dr. Cole served as the longest serving chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Appointed by George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate in 2001, Dr. Cole was confirmed in 2005. During his tenure, he approved more than 3,000 grants and $292.7 million for projects about U.S. history and culture. Dr. Cole’s We the People and Picturing America programs are helping teachers get inspiration for history lessons in the classroom. The first application period in 2008 saw applications from one-fifth of all U.S. schools and public libraries. Dr. Cole attended Case Western Reserve University before earning his master’s degree from Oberlin College and his Ph. D from Bryn Mawr College in 1969.

Samuel C. O. is Chairman and CEO of Content Technologies, Inc., a company designing and producing interactive media products, and is a Principal with The Alpha Group, through which he offers consulting services in education. As a radio and television executive, Mr. Holt made significant contributions to the development of the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. As the first programmer director at PBS, he was instrumental in developing such popular early series as Masterpiece Theatre, Firing Line, NOVA, and The Ascent of Man. As NPR’s Senior Vice President for Programming, he helped initiate programs such as Morning Edition and A Prairie Home Companion. Since leaving NPR, Mr. Holt’s consulting clients have included the Department of State, the U.S. Information Agency, Discovery Channel, and the Virginia Public Telecommunications Board. As an independent producer, Mr. Holt co-founded Holt-Beame, Inc., for which he developed programming for the bicentennial of the American Revolution. Earlier in his career, Holt was a university professor and radio news reporter, and developed the first all-news and talk format radio programs in the South. Mr. Holt received a B.A. in European history from Princeton University in 1953 and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, studying Anglo-American diplomatic history and receiving a bachelor of philosophy degree in 1960. After completing ROTC training, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, and served actively from 1961 from 1963 as an Instructor at the U.S. Army Artillery and Missile School, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He assisted in the development of new training technologies, including the first digital computer used in field service. Mr. Holt’s papers are archived at the University of Maryland.

Scott Masterson is the General Manager and Senior Vice President of Forbes, Inc. Since 2005, he has been President of American Heritage, Inc., a Forbes-owned entity that holds a 25% interest in American Heritage Publishing. Mr. Masterson’s first involvement with American Heritage began in 1979 and continued after Forbes’ acquisition of AH in 1986. He served as its Vice President/General Manager until 1996, when he was named Forbes Vice President of Operations. Since 1996, Mr. Masterson has served in a number of senior management positions at Forbes and was named SVP/GM in January 2003, overseeing the company’s Circulation, Information Technology, Manufacturing & Production, General Services, Worldwide Facilities, Human Resources and Project Management groups.

Allen Weinstein is the former head of the National Archives and Records Administration, where he supervised 3,000 employees of NARA and its affiliated organizations until his retirement December 31, 2008. In that capacity, he also directed 13 Presidential libraries. Before serving at NARA, Weinstein was president of The Center of Democracy, a foundation he created in 1985 to encourage the democratic process. Previously, he was a professor at Boston University, Georgetown University, and Smith College. In 1986, Weinstein was the recipient of the United Nations Peace Medal for “efforts to promote peace, dialogue, and free elections in several critical parts of the world.” Dr. Weinstein’s books include The Story of America (DK Publishers, 2002), The Haunted Wood: Soviet Espionage in America – The Stalin Era (Random House, 1999; Modern Library paperback, 2000); Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case (Knopf), which received several citations including an American Book Award nomination; Freedom and Crisis: An American History (Random House, 3 eds.); Between the Wars: American Foreign Policy from Versailles to Pearl Harbor (Berkley paperback); Prelude to Populism (Yale University Press); and among edited collections, Conflict in America (Voice of America); American Negro Slavery (4th ed., Oxford University Press); American Themes: Essays in Historiography (Oxford); and Truman and the American Commitment to Israel (Hebrew University/Magnes Press). Dr. Weinstein’s articles and essays have appeared in The American Scholar, The American Historical Review, The Business History Review, Commentary, Encounter, Esquire, The Journal of American History, The Journal of American Studies, The New Republic, New York, The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, Newsweek, Time, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. His television credits include that of historical consultant on two History Channel programs on Soviet espionage (1998-1999), the 1983-89 PBS series Face-to-Face: Conversations on the U.S.-Soviet Summitry (Co-Host, Editor and Writer), The Salvadoran Debate (Moderator and Producer, 1984), and Inside Washington (Host and Creator), a 1981 PBS public affairs series. He has been a frequent commentator on CNN, C-SPAN, and other networks.

Robert C. Wilburn has served as Chief Executive Officer in five quite different environments over the past 35 years. In each one he has rekindled a new sense of purpose, generating excitement and a vision of new possibilities. Under his leadership, the number of customers, members, and/or donors increased sharply within each organization, bringing with them greater commitment and participation. From 2000 to 2009, Mr. Wilburn was the President and CEO of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation. When the Museum Foundation and the Friends of Gettysburg merged to form the Gettysburg Foundation in 2006, he became President and CEO of the new organization. Wilburn also is a member of the National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Woodrow Wilson School Advisory Commission of Princeton University, and past president of the International Commission on Monuments and Other Sites (ICOMOS). Prior to joining the Gettysburg Foundation, Wilburn served as president and CEO of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, an organization of some 3,500 employees with an operating budget of nearly $200 million. There, he was successful in reversing a decline in attendance and finances through innovative and interactive on-site programming. Parallel results were achieved at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, where Wilburn served as President and CEO for eight years from 1984 until 1992. During his tenure, membership tripled, attendance increased sharply, and donations soared as the community became increasingly involved. Before he joined the Carnegie Institute, Wilburn served as a cabinet member for six years for Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, first in charge of the Office of Budget and Administration and then as Secretary of Education. As Secretary of Budget and Administration, in addition to successfully negotiating contracts with each of 23 unions, he directed the creation and adoption of four consecutive balanced budgets with no tax increases, the first time that this had been accomplished since World War II. As Secretary of Education, he shepherded the implementation of the newly legislated State System of Higher Education. High school graduation requirements were revised and significantly enhanced, the first major curriculum reform in 25 years. Teacher training standards were increased and the first statewide assessment system for students was put in place. Governor Thornburgh tapped Wilburn for service in his Cabinet based on his accomplishments and reputation at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. To become President of IUP, he left a successful career in banking where he had held several positions at Chase Manhattan Bank, including Executive Director of the Asset Liability Management Committee. Prior to that, he held positions in the Defense Department and the White House working on policy development, most notably the legislation creating the all-volunteer armed forces. Wilburn received his education at the United States Air Force Academy, earning a BS in economics and engineering: and at Princeton University where he earned Masters and Ph.D. degrees in economics and public affairs. He and his wife, Pat, live in an 1840s farmhouse in Western Pennsylvania. This has been the “home base” for them, their four children, three grandchildren, and numerous rare breeds of animals for the past 30 years.