About the Bloggers

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Darren joined the staff at NARA in 2002 as part of the Web Program team.  He got his start at NARA working on the Our Documents project and previously helped develop sites for PBS and the Discovery Channel. He has a Master of Education degree in Educational Technology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History.

Three things about Darren:

1. I am an unapologetic beer geek and will invariably turn every family trip into a scavenger hunt for obscure local beers.
2. Charlton Heston’s trio of post-apocalyptic disaster films – Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, and Omega Man – are some of my favorites.
3. I am a reluctant New England transplant but have lived on Capitol Hill for over 10 years now with my wife, 2 kids, and a varying number of cats.

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Kelly joined the staff at NARA in 2008. She is NARA’s resident CSS maven. She has a Master of Arts in Art History from American University. Her thesis was on performance art and feminism in the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. She graduated from the Arizona State University a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History, with an emphasis on photography.

Three things about Kelly:

1. I think a well made cocktail is a thing of beauty, but I will mock you if you order a Chocotini in front of me and suggest that you get a cupcake instead.
2. I have two kids, a boy and a girl, who are named after my grandparents.
3. I played bass in a punk rock band that played only country-western covers. I was terrible.

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Meredith S. joined NARA in 2008 and worked as a program analyst in the Information Security Oversight Office. She currently works with the Digital Strategies and Services Staff at NARA.  She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science from Gettysburg College.

Three things about Meredith:

1. I really enjoy learning about birds and wildlife.
2. I served in the Peace Corps in Samoa.
3. For two summers in college, I worked at the Crayola Factory.

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Jill joined the staff at NARA in 2004. She is NARA’s Social Media Manager and chairs the agency-wide Social Media Working Group. She has a Master of Library Science degree in Archival Administration and a Master of Arts in United States History from the University of Maryland. She graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in English and French Studies.

Three things about Jill:

1. I was editor of my high school newspaper.
2. I spent a semester in Paris during college and loved it, but I was ready to come home at the end.
3. I first met my husband while I was working behind the reference desk in the University of Maryland Hornbake Library and he came in to research a manuscript collection.

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Meredith D. joined NARA in the summer of 2009 and currently works on the Social Media Team in College Park, MD.  She is pursuing her Master of Library Science degree in Archival Administration from the University of Maryland, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Science and Economics from Gettysburg College.

Three things about Meredith:

1. I was a competitive swimmer throughout high school and college.
2. I enjoy camping, hiking and generally being outdoors. My favorite vacations are active ones.
3. My father and I are both graduates of Gettysburg College. I learned to appreciate history (and battlefields) at an early age.

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Kristen joined the Policy and Planning Staff at NARA in 2007.  On the Social Media Team, she  works on digital outreach projects like the Our Archives wiki.  Kristen has a Master of Library Science degree in Archival Administration from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts in Historic Preservation from Mary Washington College.

Three things about Kristen:

1. I love visiting architectural salvage yards to find materials for my endless craft projects.
2. I’m on a mission to locate every farmers’ market in my home county.
3. My husband and I have two dogs who love to chase deer but will never, ever be fast enough to catch one.

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Mary joined NARA in the summer of 2009 at the Mid-Atlantic location in Philadelphia, and is now a part of the Social Media Team in College Park, MD. She recently graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Arts in History and English, and is currently studying for her Master of Library Science degree in Archival Administration at the University of Maryland.

Three things about Mary:

1. Gettysburg, Pa is one of my favorite places to visit– it has everything from battlefields and reenactments to quaint shops and restaurants.
2. I have been involved with track and field since middle school, and I threw the hammer in college (think: a nine pound metal ball on a wire swinging around your head!).
3. I’m a BIG Phillies phan!

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