May 2, 2023, News Release

Orange, VA – On April 27, The Montpelier Foundation Board of Directors elected a new slate of officers at its annual board meeting. In addition to re-electing two current officers, the board voted Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries as the new Chairperson. “Dr. Jeffries brings a wealth of academic knowledge and expertise,” shared Krista Costello, Montpelier’s Chief Operating Officer. “An associate professor of history at The Ohio State University, Dr. Jeffries has long been involved at Montpelier and has instructed several of our Constitution-focused Educator Seminars.”

Dr. Jeffries assumes the leadership role during a momentous chapter in the Foundation’s history. Outgoing Chairperson James French led the organization over the past year, reinvigorating Montpelier’s commitment to the principles of Madisonian democracy. Under Mr. French, Montpelier applied for, and received, a $5.8 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund the construction of a memorial to enslaved people at Montpelier.

“This is an exciting time,” said Dr. Jeffries. “As chairperson, I very much look forward to engaging old and new friends of Montpelier in the ongoing effort to preserve this historic site, to explore the U.S. Constitution, and to tell the story of James and Dolley Madison, as well as the story of the hundreds of enslaved African Americans who also resided here.”

In looking to the future, Ms. Costello described the optimism and excitement held by staff and other board members. “We are energized by the new leadership team as we chart a path forward, one that recognizes and honors the totality of the lived experiences at Montpelier.” 

Other elected officers include Vice Chair Dr. Leslie M. Alexander, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers University; Secretary Dr. Joshua D. Rothman, Chair of the Department of History at the University of Alabama; and Treasurer Dr. Nicole Thorne Jenkins, the John A. Griffin Dean of the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.