Until We Get It Right: A Conversation with Christy Coleman

Christy Coleman is the Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, where she leads institutional efforts to reinterpret early American history and engage the public in complex national narratives. 

A nationally recognized museum leader, she was raised within the historically significant community of Williamsburg and played a significant role at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation before taking on the role of President and CEO of the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit. There she led a five-year, $43 million Legacy Campaign and oversaw development of the core exhibition And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture.

She later became CEO of the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, where she directed the merger of the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center and co-led the Monument Avenue Commission examining Confederate memorials. Named by Time magazine as one of “31 People Changing the South,” she has become a leading voice in transforming how history is interpreted and discussed in public life.

In this episode, we explore her personal and professional journey to leadership across pivotal cultural institutions, how she has navigated controversy with purpose, and her belief in history as a catalyst for understanding and change.