Behind the Exhibition: Exploring South Carolina Remembers 9/11

BIO

Prior to joining the Museum in 2024, she earned her M.A. in Southern Studies (2024) from the University of Mississippi and her B.A. in Art History (2012) from the College of William and Mary. Before going to graduate school in 2022, Laura worked at the Taubman Museum of Art in her hometown of Roanoke, VA as a Membership Coordinator before accepting a position as Curatorial Assistant Manager. She has also participated in the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA) Summer Institute research program. Laura has loved history for as long as she can remember, having spent childhood summers doing genealogical research with her grandfather and visiting Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle of Virginia with her family. In 2022, Laura was nominated as one of SEMC’s “Ones to Watch”. Her research interests include eighteenth and nineteenth century southern material culture and the history of women.

Jeffrey L. Brodie, Ph.D., brings over 30 years of leadership experience from the Smithsonian Institution and the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. Dr. Brodie began his museum career at the Smithsonian in 1989 and served in various curatorial and leadership positions at the National Museum of American History and the National Postal Museum. He has led major exhibition projects, including the preservation of the Star-Spangled Banner and America’s Smithsonian national traveling exhibition.  

As Acting Director of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Dr. Brodie oversaw research, education, and public programming aimed at expanding the public’s understanding of innovation. He served as the lead curator for the Change YOUR Game exhibition, which explored invention, technology, and sports. He also founded the Innoskate program – a national initiative that celebrates the creativity and innovation of skateboarding culture.  

At the Heinz History Center, Dr. Brodie served as Vice President for Museums. He managed curatorial and collections teams, while leading strategic planning for new exhibitions during a major capital expansion effort. 

Dr. Brodie holds a B.A. in History and Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.A. in History from the University of Connecticut, and a Ph.D. in History from The George Washington University.