Brent Glass

Brent D. Glass is Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the world’s largest museum devoted to telling the story of America. A national leader in the preservation, interpretation and promotion of history, Glass is a public historian who pioneered influential oral history and material culture studies, an author, television presence and international speaker on cultural diplomacy and museum management.

Before joining the Smithsonian, Glass served from 1987-2002 as executive director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, managing the largest and most comprehensive state history program in the country, with 25 historical sites and museums, State Archives, State Museum, the State Historic Preservation Office, public history programs and historical publications.

Glass earned his doctorate in history from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in American Studies from New York University, and bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College. He also completed the program for government executives at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He writes extensively on topics ranging from state-of-the-museum blogs to public memory, historic preservation and industrial history.

Articles by this Author

Out-of-This-World History, Winter 2022 | Vol. 67, No. 1

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville showcases the rockets, achievements, and artifacts of the space program, as well as the legacy of Wernher von Braun and his team.

The "Big Easy" and the Birth of Jazz, Spring 2021 | Vol. 66, No. 3

What African Americans could not achieve in the courtroom they did in the dance hall, with the invention of a rebellious, and wholly American, new musical artform.

Boston's Freedom Trail, July/August 2020 | Vol. 65, No. 4

Sixteen historic sites in Boston remind Americans of the events that led to our nation’s birth, from the Boston Massacre to Breed's Hill and the USS Constitution.

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