At its fall, 2009 meeting, November 21-22 in Washington, D.C., the OAH Executive Board appointed Katherine (Kathy) Finley as the new executive director of the Organization of American Historians.
Finley holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies, and has worked for history museums and associations. In addition to her passion for history, she is also a certified and seasoned nonprofit executive. Finley’s experience and talents will be useful as the OAH works to achieve the goals adopted in the newest strategic plan.
Finley arrives at OAH from her current position of Executive Director of the Real Estate Investment Securities Association and the TICA Foundation in Indianapolis. Previously, she was the Director of the American College of Sports Medicine Foundation and senior executive team leader for Advancement, Education and Meetings for the American College of Sports Medicine; Executive Director of the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) and Associate Faculty in Philanthropic Studies at IUPUI; and Executive Director of Roller Skating Association International and the Roller Skating Foundation.
Finley will begin March 1, 2010 in advance of the OAH Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., April 7-10. Katha Kissman, OAH Interim Executive Director, will serve in a transition capacity through the 2010 OAH Annual Meeting.
“On behalf of the entire OAH Executive Board, I look forward to working with Kathy. I am confident that under the co-leadership of Kathy and Executive Editor Ed Linenthal, in combination with our dedicated staff, the OAH has a bright future ahead,” said Elaine Tyler May, OAH President and Regents Professor at the University of Minnesota.