Dr. Kristen Gwinn-Becker: Using History to Build Engagement

Dr. Kristen Gwinn-Becker is a professional historian, digital strategist and established thought leader in the field of digital preservation. She holds a PhD in U.S. History from George Washington University and has worked for over 15 years in software development. Kristen is a published author, accomplished scholar and experienced public speaker, including her TEDx talk on the Future of History. Kristen is the CEO and Founder of HistoryIT, headquartered in Portland, Maine, and they maintain outposts in Chicago, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Southern California. In episode 675 of the Fraternity Foodie Podcast, we find out when she realized that so much important history was actually at risk of being lost, what exactly does HistoryIT do, why they started working with fraternities and sororities, why she described history as "essential infrastructure", what is the most surprising thing she's uncovered while working with fraternity or sorority archives, how chapters use their own history to build stronger brotherhood/sisterhood, how can digitized history actually drive engagement with alumni and donors, how do you begin to organize composites, scrapbooks, and boxes in basements without feeling overwhelmed, what's the one idea about history that she wishes more leaders truly understood, and how Kristen thinks about her own legacy. Enjoy!