After a 35-year career in the US Foreign Service, Colombia Barrosse returned to her native New Orleans to join The National WWII Museum as Executive Director of the Sanderson Leadership Center. As a diplomat, Barrosse engaged in democracy-building and strengthening of the rule of law in Latin America; providing strategic civilian support for US military in the Mediterranean; protecting American citizens during violent uprisings in the Caribbean; and managing international cultural, educational, and professional exchanges. Her Washington experience includes oversight of the design and implementation of an unbiased Foreign Service entrance exam, direction of global cultural programs, and service as Special Assistant to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Barrosse retired from the Foreign Service in 2024 with the rank of Minister Counselor, having been responsible for consular operations in support of COVID-19 recovery, the 80th anniversary of D-Day, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in France. She holds a BS in Biology and a JD from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

John Curatola is the Samuel Zemurray Stone Senior Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. A Marine Corps officer of 22 years, he graduated from the University of Nebraska and is a veteran of Operation Provide Hope in Somalia, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami relief effort. He holds master's degrees in both American and military history. With a PhD from the University of Kansas, John’s research focuses upon World War II, airpower, and the early Cold War period. Previously he taught history at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. His first book, Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow, addressed the nature of the American atomic monopoly, and his latest, entitled Autumn of Our Discontent, assessed US national security policy development in 1950. Additionally, his works are available in compendium books, popular magazines, and academic journals with his many presentations available for viewing on CSPAN and YouTube.

Erica Lansberg is the DPAA Research Partner Fellow at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. She completed her doctorate summa cum laude at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, writing her dissertation about encounters between American soldiers and German children during the postwar occupation of Germany after World War II. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships from institutions including the German Historical Institute Washington, DC, the Harry S. Truman Library Institute, and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). In addition, she served as an English teaching assistant at a school near Salzburg, Austria through Fulbright Austria. She completed her MA in American history at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, in addition to a BA at Williams College, where she graduated magna cum laude, majoring in both history and Arabic studies. She is also a Research Associate at the Lasky Center for Transatlantic Studies in Munich. In addition to her passion for WWII-era history, she is enthusiastic about public history and has previously worked as a historic house tour guide in Washington, DC.

Sean Scanlon is a Military Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. He received his BA in history and religious studies from Stonehill College and his MA and PhD in history from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. A specialist in 20th-century US diplomatic, military, and political history, Scanlon has done research at six presidential libraries and is a member of both the American Jewish Historical Society and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. Before joining The National WWII Museum, Scanlon was a visiting assistant professor of history at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the University of Mississippi, where he taught a wide range of undergraduate courses in modern US history. He is proud to honor his three grandparents who served during World War II, including Thomas S. Scanlon Jr., who joined the US Army Air Forces in 1942 and retired from the US Air Force in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Haley Guepet is the Research Fellow at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. She completed her PhD in medieval history in 2025 at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, focusing on the role of ancient and medieval Danish women and queens in Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum. During her PhD, Guepet taught undergraduate courses on Vikings and humans’ relationship with the ocean. Prior to her PhD, she received a BA in history and English literature from Louisiana State University in 2016. She also received her JD in civil law from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 2019 and is an attorney in Louisiana. Guepet is proud to honor her grandfathers Boyd P. Guepet Sr. and Robert “Top Todd” Todd Sr. and her great aunt Verna Heinrich who served during World War II.

Jeremy Collins joined The National WWII Museum in 2001 as an intern with the Collections & Exhibits Department while pursuing his history degree at the University of Missouri and soon after became a full-time staff member. In Collections & Exhibits, he immersed himself in the artifacts and stories from the Museum’s collection and was involved with many of the Museum’s special exhibitions, co-curating When Baseball Went to War. In 2008, he moved to the Travel & Conference Department and became involved with the travel program’s design, development and content while scouting, leading or manage tours all over the world, including the Philippines, the Mediterranean, England, and Northwest Europe. Collins currently oversees the creation, planning, marketing and execution of many of the Museum’s marquee public programs, including book launches, distinguished lectures, symposia, and the annual International Conference on World War II. As a member of the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Collins provides public programming of the highest caliber to the Museum’s audience, both physical and digital.

Andrew Good joined the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy as Project Manager in the summer of 2022. Prior to joining the Institute team, he earned his Master of Arts in History from the University of New Orleans in May 2022. Good's experience includes supporting historical preservation, access, and inquiry at the Institute and elsewhere. He has been involved in chronicling veteran experiences with the Institute’s Historical Research Services, administrating an oral history collection of WWII Homefront “Rosies,” and even helping restore historical aircraft. All these experiences have kindled his personal research interests in historical causation, the American WWII Homefront, and demobilization.

Connie is a native of Houma, Louisiana and a graduate of Nicholls State University. In May 2020, she received her MA in History from the University of New Orleans. Connie joined the Museum team in 2018, working in the President & CEO Emeritus Office until her recent switch to the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. In her time at the Museum, Connie helped manage past programs such as the Memory Wars Conference and the Annual Presidential Counselors Meeting. In her new role as Conference and Programs Specialist, Connie will continue to work on Museum public programs such as Meet the Author events, scholar workshops and the International Conference on WWII.

Rebecca Poole is a native of Southeast Louisiana. She graduated with her Master’s degree in Public History from the University of New Orleans in Spring 2020.  Her research is focused on local 20th-century New Orleans history, vice, and gender and sexuality. During grad school, she joined the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy as an intern assisting with the Institute’s Historical Research Services. In the Fall of 2020, she rejoined the Museum’s team in the Institutional Advancement’s Membership department, where she coordinated the daily services for members. She reunited with the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy in July 2022 as the Historical Research Specialist. In her current role as Historical Research Manager, she manages the institute’s Historical Research Services, provides assistance to special research requests from the public, and conducts historical research on WWII related topics.

Kevin Dupuy, an award-winning digital content producer, joined the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy in 2023 as the Digital Content Strategy Manager. During his decade-long stint in the television news industry, Dupuy's work at WWL-TV in New Orleans was recognized with six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for digital coverage. In 2021, he was awarded the prestigious national award for “Best Digital Coverage” across all large-market television stations, highlighting his work with the station’s innovative pandemic data tracking project. Dupuy's significant reporting experience spans several major news events including historic flooding, Hurricane Ida, and the COVID-19 pandemic. He is a dedicated husband and father of two boys and a graduate of Louisiana State University’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Adam Coste is the Educational Travel Manager at The National WWII Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. In this role, he works closely with the Museum’s Educational Travel Department to provide top-notch historical content production for tours to both Europe and the Pacific. Originally from Ocean City, New Jersey, Adam graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in May 2009 with a degree in Military History and was commissioned as an infantry officer where he went on to serve eleven years on active duty in the United States Army. During this time, he deployed overseas three times to the Middle East and Europe on various combat and operational deployments serving in both the 1st Cavalry Division and the 1st Infantry Division where he commanded both an infantry and headquarters company. In his last assignment on active duty from 2018-2020, Adam served as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at Tulane University where he taught both Military Science and American Military History. Prior to joining the Institute team, he earned his Master of Arts in History from the University of New Orleans in December 2023. His research focuses on the American military experience in the 20th Century with particular emphasis on World War II and the Vietnam War.

Jason Van joined The National WWII Museum in 2022 as Project Manager for the President & CEO Emeritus. During his time in the Emeritus Office, Jason managed the annual Presidential Counselors meetings, contributed to the preservation of veterans’ legacies with the Institute’s Historical Research Services, and oversaw major Museum publications such as Building The National WWII Museum and Preserving the Legacy: Creating The National WWII Museum, where he served as an associate editor. Prior to joining the Museum team, Jason held a teaching position at Tulane University. He earned his M.A. in History from the University of New Orleans with a research focus on Holocaust survivors and post-war fascist extremist groups. Jason joins the Institute as the Leadership Programs Manager for the Sanderson Leadership Center where he lends his expertise in research, World War II-era history, and content development.

Taylor Dougherty is the Academic Initiatives Manager at The National WWII Museum’s Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. In 2022, she received her MA in Public History from the University of New Orleans. Taylor joined the Museum team in 2021 in the President & CEO Emeritus office working on two book projects celebrating the history of the Museum. In her new role as Academic Initiatives Manager, she supports the Museum’s partnership with Arizona State University, aids with scholar workshops and events, and engages with and grows the Museum’s community of scholars. 

Marisa Primeaux is a native of southern Louisiana. She received her BA in History and English Literature from Louisiana State University and her MA in Museum Studies from Kingston University, London. Marisa joined the museum in 2023 in the President & CEO Emeritus Office assisting in the publication of the co-founder’s institutional history of The National WWII Museum. Her responsibilities as Research Assistant include supporting the efforts of the Jenny Craig Institute’s Historical Content and Veteran Legacy arm, performing research and writing veteran bios for the Institute’s Historical Research Services, and various other JCI activities requiring expertise in historical research. 

Rob Citino is an award-winning military historian and scholar who has published 10 books, including The Wehrmacht’s Last Stand: The German Campaigns of 1944-1945; The Wehrmacht Retreats: Fighting a Lost War,1943; Death of the Wehrmacht: The German Campaigns of 1942; and The German Way of War: From the Thirty Years’ War to the Third Reich. He has also published numerous articles covering World War II and 20th century military affairs. In 2021, he won the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize from the Society for Military History for lifetime achievement in the field. He speaks widely and contributes regularly to general readership magazines such as World War II. He graduated magna cum laude with a BA in history from Ohio State University and earned a MA and PhD from Indiana University. Citino enjoys close ties with the US military establishment and taught one year at the US Military Academy at West Point and two years at the US Army War College.

Steph Hinnershitz joined the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy as a Historian in June 2021. Before coming to The National WWII Museum, she held teaching positions at Valdosta State University in Georgia, Cleveland State University in Ohio, and the US Military Academy at West Point. She received her PhD in American History in 2013 from the University of Maryland and specializes in the history of the Home Front during World War II. She has published books and articles on Asian American history, including Race, Religion, and Civil Rights: Asian Students on the West Coast, 1900-1968 and A Different Shade of Justice: Asian American Civil Rights in the South. Her most recent book, Japanese American Incarceration: The Camps and Coerced Labor during World War II, was recently published with the University of Pennsylvania Press. Her research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, West Point, the Social Science Research Council, the Library of Congress, and the US Army Heritage and Education Center, among others.

Dr. Chris Rein is the senior historian at Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces Europe/Air Forces Africa at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. He earned his MA in history from LSU in 2001 and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Kansas in 2011. He is the author or editor of seven books, including The North African Air Campaign: The U.S. Army Air Forces from El Alamein to Salerno (University Press of Kansas, 2012) and Mobilizing the South: The Thirty-First Infantry Division, Race, and World War II  (Alabama, 2022). A retired USAF lieutenant colonel, he has previously served as an associate professor of history at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, an associate professor at the Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, a research historian for the U.S. Army at the Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and as the managing editor of Air University Press at Maxwell.