Emerging Civil War Names Kristopher D. White as Chief Historian

Emerging Civil War is pleased to welcome back co-founder Kristopher D. White to the post of chief historian.

Kris served as the organization’s founding chief historian. He returns to the position following the retirement of Chris Kolakowski, who served as ECW’s chief historian since November 2017. Kolakowski will remain on the ECW board of directors.

“Emerging Civil War would not exist without Kris. It’s especially fitting to have him come back this year as ECW celebrates our tenth anniversary,” said ECW Editor-in-Chief Chris Mackowski. “The field of Civil War history continues to change, and Kris is well-suited to help us navigate those challenges and keep our brand—and our community of historians—strong.”

“It’s exciting to see how far ECW has come over the last decade,” Kris said. “I am immensely proud of what the team has built and I hope to further that legacy.”

Kris is the deputy director of education at the American Battlefield Trust. He is a graduate of Norwich University with an M.A. in Military History, as well as a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History. For nearly five years, he served as a ranger-historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. An award-winning speaker and editor, Kris has authored, co-authored, or edited nearly two-dozen books, and he frequently leads tours in the United States and abroad.

During his first stint as ECW’s chief historian, Kris co-founded the Emerging Civil War Series, published by Savas Beatie, LLC, and the Engaging the Civil War Series, published by Southern Illinois University Press.

ECW’s chief historian oversees the quality control of the ECW’s historical content. That includes content on the blog as well as content in ECW’s various publication projects, including the Emerging Civil War book series and the ECW YouTube channel.

“Emerging Civil War was created with the intent to welcome new historians and scholarship to the field. I believe that this organization has excelled at this part of the mission, and I look forward to helping to work with this great talent pool and to nurture further scholarship in the field,” Kris said.

*     *     *

Emerging Civil War is the collaborative effort of more than thirty historians committed to sharing the story of the Civil War in an accessible way. Founded in 2011, Emerging Civil War features public and academic historians of diverse backgrounds and interests, while also providing a platform for emerging voices in the field. Initiatives include the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series of books published by Savas Beatie, LLC; an annual symposium; a speakers bureau; and a daily blog: www.emergingcivilwar.com.

Emerging Civil War is recognized by the I.R.S. as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation.



7 Responses to Emerging Civil War Names Kristopher D. White as Chief Historian

  1. Congrads to a well deserving, hard working, young (to me) Historian with supper qualifications. Look forward to his work in the future !

  2. Thanks for all you have done to educate people like me who thirst for more but are not scholars or professional historians.

Please leave a comment and join the discussion!