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Cassandra K. BennettEmail: CassandraKBennett [@] gmail.com

Portfolio: ckbennett.wordpress.com

Experience

Program Coordinator, Preservation Chapel Hill 2014

! Recruit, supervise, train, and mentor three to six interns per semester. Conduct interviews and develop

long- and short-term projects to support the organizations mission and initiatives. Plan field trips and

arrange workshops to promote professional development. Mentor intern projects like exhibits, walking

tours, public presentations, and research; guide content development for digital platforms like social

media and OnCell (cell phone walking tours).

! Organize and coordinate special events, fundraisers, and exhibits like the bi-annual house tours, living

history events, and exhibits three months of the year. Planning requires recruiting teams of volunteers,

developing partnerships, advertising, establishing and following budgets, and ticket sales and

registration.

!

Plan and oversee the Walk This Way! walking tour series, an educational program. Responsibilitiesinclude advertising, volunteer recruitment, training, and scheduling.

!

Engage in public outreach programs like participation in local festivals, partnerships with area schools,

and radio broadcast features.

! General responsibilities include: staff the Horace Williams House; greet visitors and answer telephone

calls; prepare reports for programs and monthly board meetings; work with vendors who support the

organizations operations; respond to research requests and general inquiries; help maintain office

supplies; maintain web presence and social media; and assist the Executive Director as needed.

Tour Guide, Heritage Parks, Durham Parks and Recreation 2014

!

Staff the historic sites at the West Point on the Eno Heritage Park.

! Lead guided tours of the McCown-Mangum House, providing a history of the houses residents, social

and cultural context, and architectural history to park visitors.

Interim Director, Tennessee Century Farms Program 2013

! Oversaw the programs administrative needs and maintained the programs database and archives of

1,600 certified farms.

! Guided century farm owners through the application process, certified applications, and drafted press

releases for historic family farms in Tennessee.

! Coordinated with county fair boards, farm extension agents, and members of the press to further the

programs outreach initiatives.

Graduate Research Assistant, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation 2011-2013

! Worked with community stakeholders and CHP colleagues to develop heritage development plans for

the Park Theatre (McKenzie, TN), Gem Theatre (Etowah, TN), and Rowan Museum, Inc. (Salisbury, NC).

These plans assessed current site conditions, identified potential areas of growth and improvement, and

proposed recommendations to achieve financial sustainability and cultural relevance.

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! Developed educator materials like primary source sets, links guides, and lesson plan ideas for Teaching

with Primary SourcesMTSU, a Library of Congress partnership program. Updated 150 existing

educator resources to meet new guidelines.

!

Maintained, updated, and developed three CHP-affiliated websites and collaborated with staff to

develop the CHPs social media use policy.

Research Assistant, Stone Fort Museum, SFASU 2011

! Established and implemented plan to acquire artifacts and conduct oral history interviews necessary to

the opening of the Cornerstones of the Community: African American History in Eastern Texas exhibit.

! Collaborated with community members and networked with private collectors and regional museums to

acquire artifacts. Oversaw artifact loan contracts and interview release agreements.

! Created artifact labels, drafted panel content, and installed display cases for the exhibit.

Student Assistant, Center for Regional Heritage Research, SFASU 2008-2011

! Transcribed thirty-six oral histories from the African American Museums African American Education

Project collection (Dallas, TX).

! Surveyed and documented rural cemeteries, historical markers, and historic buildings and structures in

Houston County (TX) with GIS hardware.

! Processed, established provenance, and developed a finding aid for a collection not previously archived

in the East Texas Research Center (Nacogdoches, TX).

! Developed a step-by-step CONTENTdm manual for community members and the staffs use to make

private collections available through the East Texas Research Centers digital archive.

Education

Master of Arts, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN May 2014

Concentration: Public History with an emphasis in Historic Preservation.

Thesis: Behind the Scenes: Corporations, the Moviegoing Experience, and the Preservation of Tennessees

Small-Town Theaters, (MA thesis, Middle Tennessee State University, 2014).

Bachelor of Arts, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX December 2010

GraduatedMagna Cum Laude with honors.

Majors: History and Geography with an emphasis in American Studies.

Internships

McKenzie (TN) Historic Zoning Commission and Southwest Tennessee Development District 2012

Under the guidance of the Southwest Tennessee Development District preservation planner, assisted the

McKenzie Historic Zoning Commission in planning their preservation initiatives. Completed a downtown

architectural survey and prepared a National Register Nomination for the historic Park Theatre.

Sam Rayburn House Museum, Texas Historical Commission 2007

Produce a provenance and history report for the Sam Rayburn House Museums dinnerware and china,

assisted with collection management, and led guided tours.