Meet the interdisciplinary scholars, educators, and community leaders who lend their expertise and passion to leading the Center's initiatives.
Director
Bernard Powers
Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston | Professor Emeritus of History powersb@cofc.edu
Bernard Powers, professor emeritus of history at the College, is the inaugural director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston. Dr. Powers taught in the Department of History from 1992 to 2018, serving stints as department chair and director of the master’s program in history. He has published numerous works on African-American social and cultural history. His book Black Charlestonians: A Social History 1822-1885 (University of Arkansas Press, 1994) won a Choice Award for Best Academic Books. He also co-authored We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel (Thomas Nelson, 2016). His latest book is 101 African Americans Who Shaped South Carolina (USC Press, 2020). Powers is a member of the board of directors and interim CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM), which is scheduled to open in Charleston in 2022. As a member of both CSSC and IAAM, Powers is developing a working relationship between both entities, with the goal of establishing joint public programs and academic partnership.
Executive Board
Shannon Eaves, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History
eavess@cofc.edu
Julia Eichelberger, Ph.D.
Professor of English and Director of the Southern Studies Program
eichelbergerj@cofc.edu
Grant Gilmore, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Historic Preservation and Director of the Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program
gilmorer@cofc.edu
Simon Lewis, Ph.D.
Professor of English and Director of the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program
lewiss@cofc.edu
Kameelah Martin, Ph.D.
Dean of the Graduate School
martink@cofc.edu
Tamara Butler, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Avery Research Center of African American History and Culture
butlert@cofc.edu