ABOUT THE CENTER

A person walks by the Lepage Center sign outside the office.

The Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest is founded on the belief that historical scholarship and historical perspective are central when examining contemporary global issues.

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Lepage Center is to advance our conviction that historical study can further public understanding of the present moment. The Center promotes the importance of historical knowledge and perspectives by organizing diverse events and programs that gather scholars, educators, journalists, policymakers, activists and students to reflect upon the present through the lens of the past.

Committed to training the next generation of historians, the Lepage Center offers Villanova students a range of opportunities to gain first-hand experience with public history, communications and event programming.

History

The Lepage Center launched in January 2017 and was made possible through the vision and generosity of Albert Lepage ’69 CLAS, a history major at Villanova and retired co-chairman of Lepage Bakeries Inc.

READ ABOUT THE GIFT

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Keisha Blain, PhD
Professor, Africana Studies and History, Brown University

Kristopher Brown, EdD, ’08 CLAS
Assistant Superintendent of Administration, Pennsbury School District

Richard H. Immerman, PhD
Professor and Edward J. Buthusiem Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow in History, Temple University

Mark Jacobson, PhD
Vice President of Research, Evaluation, and Modernizing Government, Partnership for Public Service

Aaron Jones, EdD, '06 CLAS, '08 MS
Head of Guidance and College Placement, American School of Doha

Seth Koven, PhD
G.E. Lessing Distinguished Professor of History and Poetics, and Director, Rutgers British Studies Center, Rutgers University

Aaron B. Moore, ’14 CLAS, ’15 MA
Chief Financial and Operating Officer, County Government in Southeast Texas

Mike Okenquist, ’94 CLAS
Senior Vice President, Marketing, PNC

Inga Saffron
Architecture Critic, Philadelphia Inquirer

John F. Smith III
Chair Emeritus and Senior Counselor, Global Philadelphia Association

Vince Stango, MPA ’01
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, National Constitution Center

Jonathan Zimmerman, PhD
Professor of History of Education; Judy and Howard Berkowitz Professor in Education, University of Pennsylvania

Ex officio

Albert Lepage ’69 CLAS, Founding Donor, former President, Lepage Bakeries

Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, William and Julia Moulden Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Paul Rosier, PhD, Professor, department of History, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Director, Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest

Lynne Hartnett, PhD, Chair, History Department, Villanova University