David WagnerCELL (517) 304-0014 • E-MAIL dbwagner104@gmail.com

EDUCATIONDoctor of Philosophy, HistoryUniversity of California, Riverside, CA – 2016

Master of Arts, HistoryEastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI – 2010

Bachelor of Arts, HistoryMichigan State University, East Lansing, MI – 2007

EXPERIENCE

Archivist, Oakland UniversityROCHESTER, MICHIGAN – 2015 – PRESENT

Processed and described the 27,000 text, video, and audio files of US Congressman Mike Rogers’ congressional papers three months ahead of schedule, cutting university expenses by over $6,000

Designed the collection’s public-facing website and wrote twenty pages of content based on original research of the collection’s materials

Served as the subject-matter expert on the collection for three university departments

Trained, supervised, and reviewed the work of university interns in primary source research, database entry, and cataloging

Created collections-management software records and eight documentation files to establish intellectual control over the collection

Collaborated with six donors to determine the future direction of the collection

PhD Researcher, University of California RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA – 2013 – 2016

Conducted interviews with seven living stakeholders (historical figures and surviving family members) to consolidate and expand upon historical narratives

Formulated and implemented a two year, complex research project resulting in pioneering historical scholarship in the form of a 650+ page published work

Analyzed the personal papers of over a dozen individuals and the institutional records of ten American and Soviet organizations from the Cold War

Read and condensed over 300 books into literature reviews

Discovered, interpreted, and assimilated tens of thousands of pages of historical primary sources from five archives into six chapters of accessible narratives

Facilitated the release of thousands of pages of classified information to the public through the Freedom of Information Act

Collections Intern, Wende Museum CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA – 2013

Identified, processed, digitized, and catalogued hundreds of cultural objects from Cold War East Germany and the Soviet Union

Expedited a stalled publishing project, allowing the museum to release a critically acclaimed book with TASCHEN a year ahead of schedule

Evaluated collection objects and wrote blog posts for the public, presenting elements of the museum’s collection in an easy-to-follow narrative format

Served as a content specialist for staff, conducting research on over fifty cultural artifacts and advising staff on their history and significance

Employed conservation best practices to preserve dozens of fragile cultural objects, including manuscripts, visual material, published works, and artifacts

Translated 30 Russian and German historical documents

Student Curator, Guantanamo Memory ProjectRIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA – 2012

Designed a large panel for a national exhibition investigating how the American installations at Guantanamo Bay are remembered by former residents and prisoners, in collaboration with students from eleven universities

Assisted with the curation and installation of a temporary exhibit in Riverside attended by over 200 people

Interpreted primary sources to formulate an engaging, sympathetic, and creative portrayal in exhibit form of individuals coping with traumatic events

Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of California RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA – 2011 – 2013

Taught historical themes, writing skills, and research methodology to three groups of students three times per week for every academic term

Conducted over one-hundred hour-long lectures with students, featuring presentations of complex material and facilitated discussions

Analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to assess student performance and identify areas in need of improvement

Mentored students to more efficient and effective performance by meeting with dozens of students individually for consultation, and assisted these students with reference and research services

Developed and designed a wide variety of written work, from brief executive summaries to longer articles, all of which were disseminated to students and faculty

Edited and corrected over 1,000 student manuscripts and other copy, saving faculty dozens of hours of work

Organized three class websites, published 30 blog posts, and managed three databases every academic term

Awards: Won the Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship Award from the University of California in 2010 for over $10,000; won a research grant from the University of California in 2014 for over $4,000

Archival Publications: “The Participatory Turn,” Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals (Oct 2013); “Review: Narrating Objects, Collecting Stories: Essays in Honour of Professor Susan M. Pearce,” Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals (Sep 2013)

Proficient in HTML and CSS programming; Archivists’ Toolkit/ArchivesSpace; Adobe Creative Suite; MS Office; Google Applications

Languages: Russian (full professional competency), German (read/write competency)