Dr. Calinda Lee
Scholar, Former Head of Interpretation at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights
Calinda Lee, PhD founded Sources Cultural Resources Management, LLC in 2003. Since May 2022, she has devoted herself fully to its mission to fearlessly explore the past to develop cultural institutions and experiences committed to truthful, compelling interpretation. In her role as principal consultant for Sources, she brings together a diverse community of colleagues who, like herself, have occupied senior roles in cultural institutions. Their shared commitment is to collaborate with organizations that explore culture with accuracy, bravery, and a spirit of innovation.
Prior to establishing Sources as a full-service consulting firm, Lee served as the Head of Interpretation at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. She joined the executive leadership team at The Center to oversee its mission-focused work. In that role, she directed Education and Exhibitions teams as well as emergent community partnership efforts. It is Calinda’s deep belief that information must be deployed creatively –and always intimately linked with community needs—to be of greatest service. Her personal vision “to make history personal every day, to connect lessons from the past to living in the present and planning for the future.”
As Vice President of Historical Interpretation and Community Engagement for the Atlanta History Center, Lee served as chief historian, considering historical interpretation for all aspects of the region’s past to develop the AHC’s primary collections, historic houses, historic gardens, and public programs. Calinda also developed and led the AHC’s Community Engagements, featuring its signature Neighborhoods Initiative. Balancing executive and creative roles, she curated the award-winning cornerstone exhibition Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta in addition to developing a number of other programs and exhibitions.
Educated at Spelman College (BA), New York University (MA) and Emory University (MA and PhD), Calinda’s historical expertise is distinguished by impeccable research that informs inspiring and frame changing storytelling in the present. As a scholar of 20th Century United States History (specializing in post-WWII African American social history) and administrator, Dr. Lee has held teaching and administrative positions at Emory University, Loyola University Chicago, and Spelman College. A prolific practitioner, she is recognized administrator, curator, writer, and educator. In addition to the engagements above, Lee she has worked with institutions throughout the world including the State of Georgia, Brighthouse—A Division of Boston Consulting Group, the United States Department of State, Intel, the New Mexico Black Leadership Council, Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, District of Columbia (Washington) Public Libraries, the City Museum of Washington, DC, the Reginald Lewis Maryland Museum for African American Life and History, and the Chicago History Museum, among others.
