Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Dr. Deborah L. Mack

Deborah L. Mack, PhD is Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships at Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. From 2000 to 2012 her national and international professional practice centered around museum planning and strategic planning, on interpretive and exhibition development, and on cultural and heritage tourism. From 2007 to 2010, Mack was appointed as Georgia Commissioner for the Gullah-Geechee National Heritage Commission, Department of the Interior (National Park Service).

She has served as a project advisor for a number of Lowcountry sites, including the planned International African American Museum in Charleston SC; Penn Center on St. Helena Island SC; Historic Mitchelville Preservation Foundation Hilton Head Island SC; Owens-Thomas House and Ossabaw Island Foundation in Savannah GA. From 2005-2011 Mack served on the NMAAHC Scholarly Advisory Committee and served as co-curator of the inaugural permanent Cultural Expressions exhibit that features Lowcountry stories places and material culture. Mack holds a Ph.D. and an M.A., in anthropology from Northwestern University, and a B.A. in geography from the University of Chicago.

What Our Travelers Say

I greatly appreciated Dr. Mack and her wealth of wisdom and connections. She gave us a sense of how scholarship and evidence are being woven into a tapestry of understanding.

- Barbara S., African American Culture in the Lowcountry

She was truly the best part of the trip. I learned so much from her.

- Janis H., African American Culture in the Lowcountry