oliviavfchaudhury | New Jersey History and Historic Preservation Conference

Olivia VF Chaudhury

Historic Preservation Specialist 1, New Jersey Historic Trust

Olivia VF Chaudhury was born in New York and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She earned a B.S. Urban and Regional Studies and an M.A. Historic Preservation Planning from Cornell University. Her research explores the American imaginary through events such as the World’s Fairs and the United States’ anniversaries, culminating in her M.A. thesis. “How America Remembers Itself: An Analysis of Programming in the Bicentennial, Semiquincentennial and American Girl, Centering Indigenous Perspectives.” Olivia is a Historic Preservation Specialist at the New Jersey Historic Trust.

Sessions

(S-2) Engaging the Public with Preservation: 50 Years of Lessons

Time:

Thursday, 10:45 am - 12:00 pm

Location: Room 218

Audience: H, HT, M/C, NP

Sponsored by

In 2026, historic sites face shrinking budgets and public discourse clouded by misinformation. This session revisits 1976 to examine what worked—and what didn’t—for public engagement and historical interpretation. Part presentation, part workshop, we trace the evolution of interpretive language and the shift from instructive to affective portrayals of history over 50 years. Attendees will explore questions such as the merits of digital versus analog tools to engage audiences, the Bicentennial’s influence on historical narratives, and strategies for executing the 250th with existing resources.

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Presenters:

Olivia VF Chaudhury

Historic Preservation Specialist 1, New Jersey Historic Trust

Francesca Costa

Public Historian, Palisades Interstate Park

Eric Nelsen

, Public Historian, Palisades Interstate Park

Cheryl Hargrove

Hargrove International, Inc.

Elizabeth Dowd

Resource Interpretive Specialist, New Jersey State Park Service

Rebecca Fitzgerald

Administrator, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's State Park Service

Olivia VF Chaudhury