March1, 2010
Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History today announced that he has named Charles W. Morris, III of Charleston as director of the agency’s Museums Section, effective March 16, 2010. Morris will be responsible for administering the Division’s museums programs, which include the West Virginia State Museum at the Culture Center and its collections, as well as the agency’s other historic sites and museums—Camp Washington-Carver in Clifftop, Grave Creek Mound Archaeology Complex in Moundsville, Jenkins Plantation Museum in Green Bottom, Museum in the Park in Logan and West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. Prior to his appointment, Morris served as director of collections and exhibits for the last four years. He was also director of collections management since 1991.
“Charles is a tremendous resource for our agency and the state. His enjoyment and commitment over the years to the work of managing the collection is evident with every exhibit throughout the Culture Center. Looking forward, I know we will benefit greatly from his depth of knowledge and range of experience,” said Reid-Smith. “I am so pleased that he has accepted the position.” Morris is a graduate of the University of Charleston with a bachelor’s degree in administration, management and marketing. Morris trained at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., focusing on museum programs as well as having worked at the Campbell Conservation Center in Mount Carroll, Ill. In addition, Morris served as state director and as a board member of the Southeastern Museums Conference. He worked in tandem with Commissioner Reid-Smith to secure the annual SEMC conference in West Virginia in 2009.
For more information, please contact Jacqueline Proctor, deputy commissioner, at (304) 558-0220.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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