I am very excited to announce that I will be starting a new job in the next couple months as the Assistant Director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies and an Assistant Professor of History at Brigham Young University. The Redd Center organizes, finances, and promotes the study of the American West (with particular emphasis on the Intermountain West). This position will assume some of the responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Center, running the many on-going projects, programs, and initiatives, and developing new ones. Redd Center duties comprise the majority of the position, but there is also an opportunity to teach for the History Department. Continuing Faculty Status (what BYU calls tenure) and rank advancement will be run through the History Department as well. In short, I will get to dedicate much of my time to facilitating research and public engagement in my specialty field of the U.S. West. Wow. It is, in so many ways, a dream position. I love teaching and I love researching, but over the past few years I have found some of my greatest intellectual satisfaction in playing the role of organizer and facilitator. This position will involve a lot of that. Plus, I will still get chances to teach and pick away at my own research.
Accepting this new job does come with a cost. When I started my current job as a historian and editor for the Joseph Smith Papers (back in June 2013) I was making a very conscious decision about leaving the academy and making a career in an alt-academic setting – documentary editing. At the time, many asked if I was planning on using the JSP as a waypoint while I continue to apply for academic faculty positions. And, my truthful answer was “No.” I have not been on the job market and have been increasingly excited about the new career track and field. It is a very exciting time to involved in LDS church history. We are currently experiencing, perhaps, one of the greatest moments in the production of LDS church history, and the Joseph Smith Papers is an integral part of it. It has been a thrill to participate and I had been looking deep into the future, mapping out what my place would be in this new career and field. When I was alerted to the Redd Center position, however, I couldn’t not apply. It felt like a job custom tailored for my interests. So, while I am very excited about the new job, I deeply regret leaving the JSP. The people I work with have become close friends and I will miss their day-by-day interactions. I will also miss the opportunity to spend my days contributing to the JSP (and later, other) projects.
The other cost is moving my family (yet again). We currently live in Davis County and have come to love it. We lucked into a great neighborhood and made great friends. The local schools are great, etc… The list goes on. I have become involved in the local trail-running and ultramarathon community and will deeply miss my Davis County trails! Thankfully, BYU is only an hour or so south, so the move to Utah County will not fully preclude our continued association with Davis County friends and places.
This is getting a bit long, so I should end. In short, I am excited about what the future holds. I am excited to more fully reengage with my Western history and studies colleagues around the country through this position. I am excited to scheme up new public history initiatives here in Utah and beyond. I am still baffled by how lucky I am to be able to make a living as a historian. Many thanks to all who have supported me (and my family) over the course of my education and these early stages of my career. I have relied heavily on many of you and am in your debt. Here’s to future collaborations and my spending the remainder of my career repaying you!