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Education Background:
BS degree in Journalism Studies, with a minor in Government and Politics, from Utica College; MLIS, with a concentration in archives, from the University at Buffalo; six years in the Army National Guard as a public affairs specialist, reaching the rank of Sergeant
What was your professional background before your current position?
My first career was in journalism and communications, where I spent a total of 9.5 years working for a couple of newspapers as well as a New York State Senator. When I moved toward my second career, I worked as a library clerk for the Waterloo Library & Historical Society for a little more than 2 years and then as the administrative assistant in the research room at the Yates County History Center.
Describe your current position and what do you like best about it:
I began working as the curator of the Seneca Falls Historical Society in January 2025. At the time I was hired, SFHS was also seeking an executive director but having difficulty doing so. Right away, I was offered a promotion to the director position; I became acting director in April 2025 with the anticipation I will be appointed executive director in July 2025. SFHS has been in a season of transition, going several months without a director as well as a curator, so to use a sports term, I say we are in a rebuilding year in 2025. However, I also feel SFHS is on the upswing in terms of becoming more visible in the community again and offering more programs and events in our building and around the community. I like to think of this as the kind of rebuilding year where the team makes a deep playoff run. That is what I like best about my current position. I have wonderful people around me in terms of my co-workers and our board members, and I believe together we can do great things both to steward and to share the amazing history of Seneca Falls and Seneca County.
What has been your biggest professional challenge?
While I feel optimistic about our rebuilding year here, it is still a rebuilding year and that has been my biggest professional challenge. Starting as curator, I did not have the previous curator to lean on as I began to organize and arrange collections areas that had long been neglected and not properly taken care of. Nor did I have an executive director to seek advice and guidance from. So, I have had to rely on my own knowledge and skills that I gained during my graduate school days - putting all of my lessons into action! - and sort of fly by the seat of my pants in the process. However, so far my projects to care for the collections areas have been successful, and I feel the blank slate of having no one to tell me anything has worked toward my advantage in the process.
Have you seen any shifts towards sustainability in the workplace that you think would be useful in other libraries or institutions?
SFHS, I admit, is behind the times in this regard. For example, we don't yet have proper environmental controls and monitors for our collections areas and we need to do a better job of using proper housing and storage for our collections items. Improving these two aspects of our collections over time is definitely a major goal of mine, and I certainly think we can work toward sustainability in this process as well.
How are you supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in your work environment?
I believe the best way SFHS can promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is to tell the untold or under-told stories of people and groups that are often unrepresented or underrepresented in historical narratives. While Seneca Falls is known as the birthplace of the women's rights movement in 1848, the community also was the home of a substantial free Black population even during the abolition movement against slavery. It has also been the home of significant populations of Italian and Irish immigrants and remains the home of Italian American and Irish American families. Of course, before Seneca Falls was Seneca Falls, it was the territory of the Cayuga Nation of the Haudenosaunee and remains an important site for the Cayuga Nation. I hope to bring all of these groups and their rich and valuable stories to light over time. For example, as I plan an exhibit to honor the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, I aim to incorporate the Sullivan Expedition and tell the appropriate story of its horrific impact on the Cayuga Nation and other nations of the Haudenosaunee.
What other organizations are you involved with?
While SFHS is located sort of off the beaten path, there are four other museums located in downtown Seneca Falls (the Women's Rights National Historical Park, the National Women's Hall of Fame, the Seneca Museum of Waterways and Industry, and the It's A Wonderful Life Museum). All of us work closely together because of our common though differing missions, helping one another with various initiatives. SFHS strives to cooperate and collaborate with all of these other organizations, and we also seek to partner and connect with other community organizations.
What advice would you give to someone new to the field?
I would recommend reaching out to whatever type of organization you hope to work for (public library, history museum, etc.) and seeking internships or even part-time job opportunities. As I prepared to enter college to study journalism, I had to a mentor tell me that what mattered most to prospective employers were my "clips" - articles I had written for newspapers and other publications through an internship or freelance opportunity. While college coursework is not unimportant, sure enough, I did find that employers I interviewed with were more impressed by my previous work. I feel the same applies to the library/museum field. Employers were more impressed by my real-world experience of my part-time job and internship, though they did take into account the knowledge and skills I had gained in my graduate coursework.
Are there any tips you would like to share that help you get things done?
Taking a lunch break away from my desk and reading a good book while I eat. With so many tasks on my to-do list, it becomes all too easy for me to eat lunch at my desk and push through my work. However, not only do I feel overwhelmed by everything I need to get done - or feel I need to get done - but also I become unfocused and distracted. I find taking a dedicated break helps me refresh my mind and become focused on the task at hand once I get back to work.
Favorite web tools or websites:
I absolutely love NYS Historic Newspapers. It is a wonderful tool for all kinds of research through New York State history; I use it in my own research, and I recommend to visitors who come to research with our resources.
What are you most proud of?
My daughters (Sara, 7, and Lucy, 4.5) and the wonderful and amazing young ladies they are becoming
What is one thing you would you like to learn?
My number one research bucket list item, as I like to call it, is to find out more about Antonio Varacalli and his life beyond the events of April 12, 1917. When a young woman jumped into the Seneca River to take her own life, Antonio jumped in to rescue her - and he did, though he drowned and died in the process. This heroic act is credited with inspiring one of the final scenes of "It's A Wonderful Life," where George Bailey jumps into the water after the angel Clarence Odbody falls/jumps in. I would love to know more about Antonio as a person, especially as an Italian immigrant who came to Seneca Falls with his father, though so far I haven't been able to find much beyond the events surrounding his death.
What are you most looking forward to this year?
Figuratively leading my team to the playoffs during our rebuilding year. Continuing to lead the Seneca Falls Historical Society as a wonderful local history organization and a beacon of the amazing history - of all kinds - that we have here in Seneca Falls.
Thank you Jonathan!
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