Colleen Shogan, In Pursuit: Essays on the American Experiment

Joining Tayo in The Study is Colleen Shogan for a discussion of the National Archives, as she was the 11th archivist of the United States, and her current project called "In Pursuit" with an organization called More Perfect. How does a person get that job, Archivist of the United States? What kinds of records are kept at the NARA? How can the public make use of the archives? And then Colleen fields questions on her new project which is editor of a collection of essays for America's 250th celebration, essays that ask what we can learn from our nation's past presidents and first ladies that can help us in this ongoing experiment of American democracy.

Here's a link to the Substack where the essays are being published: https://inpursuit.substack.com/

Dr. Colleen Shogan served as the 11th Archivist of the United States, the first woman in American history to lead the National Archives and Records Administration. Prior to becoming Archivist, Colleen was Senior Vice President at the White House Historical Association, worked in the United States Senate, and served as a senior executive at the Library of Congress and its Congressional Research Service. She is the 2024 recipient of the American Political Science Association’s Hubert Humphrey Award for outstanding public service.

Colleen is a Senior Advisor at More Perfect, where she leads “In Pursuit,” a nationwide civics project for 2026. She is Senior Fellow in Civics Education at Stand Together and an Adjunct Professor of Government at Georgetown University. She also serves on the Board of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.


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