Whitney Nell Stewart is the Executive Director of Coastal Georgia Historical Society on St. Simons Island. After receiving her PhD in History from Rice University in 2017, she taught at the University of Texas at Dallas, where she attained tenure in 2024. She then served as CGHS’s Director of Collections and Education before assuming her current role. At CGHS, Whitney provides purposeful leadership for a talented team of nearly two dozen staff members, manages a multi-million-dollar operating budget, and leads fundraising and development efforts. Proud to be at the helm of a beloved local institution, she is dedicated to realizing the Society’s ambitious goal—laid out in the current strategic plan—to become the region’s center for historical education and research.

An award-winning author, Whitney has published books, articles, and essays for both academic and public audiences, including for Smithsonian Magazine, Time, and Golden Isles Magazine. She is currently working on a book about the southern origins of American wine.

Whitney has also worked as a public historian at institutions across the nation, including the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, The Henry Ford, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, and more. 

Learn more about Dr. Stewart’s work through her academic C.V. or résumé. Contact her with any questions, comments, or opportunities.