Biographies
Project Staff
Al Wheat
Al Wheat is the Project Director for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. He currently serves as the Director of Education for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH), a position he has held since January 2018. Prior to joining MDAH, Al was a seven-year educator in the Mississippi public school system. He has also served as Mississippi History Day Coordinator for nearly a decade.
Kari Baker
Kari Baker is the Assistant Project Director for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of Education for MDAH, a position she has held since June 2022. Prior to joining MDAH, Kari was a fourteen-year educator in the Mississippi public school system.
Bently Cochran
Bently Cochran is the Assistant Project Director for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. He currently serves as the Outreach Program Coordinator for MDAH, a position he has held since June 2022. Bently joined MDAH after graduating summa cum laude from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Michael Morris
Michael Morris will serve as the tour lead for all travel days during the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Michael currently serves as the Director of the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, MS. Michael has worked for MDAH since 2016, serving as a Public Information Officer, Director of Public Relations, and Director of Public Engagement.
Drew Gardner
Drew Gardner is one of the educators for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Drew is currently the Family and Community Learning Manager at the Two Mississippi Museums. Prior to joining MDAH in January 2022, Drew was a Mississippi classroom educator for four years.
Sarah Grantham
Sarah Grantham is one of the educators for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Sarah is currently the Manager of Student Learning at the Two Mississippi Museums. Sarah graduated from the State University of New York’s Cooperstown Graduate program with a Master of Arts in Museum Studies.
Ayana Jones
Ayana Jones is one of the educators for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Ayana is currently a museum educator at the Two Mississippi Museums. Ayana formerly served as a youth mentor for the Alluvial Collective and has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Jackson State University.
Lynne O'Hara
Lynne O’Hara is one of the educators for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Lynne currently serves as the Director of Programs for National History Day® (NHD), a position she has held for over a decade. Prior to joining NHD, Lynne was a classroom educator for twelve years in Pennsylvania public schools.
Krista Grensavitch
Dr. Krista Grensavitch is one of the educators for the Freedom Summer 60 Years Later project. Krista currently serves as the Program Manager for National History Day® (NHD). Prior to joining NHD, Krista was a classroom educator for over a decade and taught dual enrollment to graduate-level courses.
Scholars
Dr. Robby Luckett
Dr. Robby Luckett is a tenured professor of history at Jackson State University and serves as director of the Margaret Walker Center and the COFO Center, both on Jackson State’s campus. Dr. Luckett’s research interests focus on the modern Civil Rights Movement and African American history. Dr. Luckett has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Yale University and a Ph.D. in History from the University of Georgia. Dr. Luckett is a member of numerous professional organizations and serves as the current secretary and conference planning committee chair for the Association of African American Museums.
Dr. Daphne Chamberlain
Dr. Daphne Chamberlain is the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Social Justice at Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi. Dr. Chamberlain is a Tougaloo College alumni, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in History before receiving her Master’s and Ph.D. in History from the University of Mississippi. Dr. Chamberlain was the founding director of the Civil Rights Education Center at Jackson State University. Her research focuses on the Civil Rights Movement and particularly children’s participation in the movement.
Dr. Roscoe Barnes III
Dr. Roscoe Barnes III is the cultural heritage tourism manager at Visit Natchez located in Natchez, Mississippi. Prior to joining the staff at Visit Natchez, Dr. Barnes was the chaplain at the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility. Dr. Barnes also served as a chaplain assistant in the United States Army and in the Army National Guard. Dr. Barnes received his Ph.D. in church history from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has a breadth of research interests, including the civil rights history of Natchez and preservation topics in the city.
Ms. Jacqueline Byrd Martin
Ms. Jacqueline Byrd Martin is a civil rights veteran from McComb, MS, where she was a trailblazer in city administration. Ms. Martin was also a participant in the 1961 Burglund High School walk out. She has served as a civil rights tour guide for high school and college students, as well as for teachers and other interested citizens. She joined the Alluvial Collective as Community Building Manager and participates in intergenerational community work in Mississippi. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Belhaven University and is a certified Training Professional through the Workplace Learning and Performance Institute at the University of Southern Mississippi.