Lara Putnam, a professor in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of History, has been elected vice president of research for the American Historical Association. She will serve a three-year term beginning January 2027.
Incorporated by Congress in 1889 for the promotion of historical studies, the American Historical Association provides leadership for the discipline and promotes the critical role of historical thinking in public life. The association’s research division is responsible for promoting historical scholarship, encouraging the collection and preservation of historical documents and artifacts, ensuring equal access to information and fostering the dissemination of information about historical records and research.
Putnam is a historian of race, gender and migration in the modern Americas with expertise in grassroots organizing. She previously served as president of the Conference on Latin American History and chair of Pitt’s Department of History.