Kris, a historian, professor, and museum professional, is committed to making history accessible and meaningful for her audiences. She believes that primary historical sources are invaluable for fostering understanding and connections.

She earned her PhD in American Studies from St. Louis University and holds the title of professor emeritus in history at Lindenwood University. With a BA in Museum Studies from the University of Idaho and a public history certificate from Washington State University, she has collaborated with institutions across the country, both large and small. She directed the Ohio Historical Society’s Local History Office, where she provided outreach to the state’s history institutions, and served as the education director at the Missouri Historical Society.

At Backlog, Kris brings her experience in museums and archives, along with her writing, speaking, and research skills as a historian. She has written and presented on many museum programs, issues, and procedures. She also published on St. Louis history topics and authored Wild Place: A History of Priest Lake, Idaho, with Washington State University Press.

Over the years, she relished her roles as a curator at the quirky City Museum, Dolley Madison for the NEH Great Plains Chautauqua, and archivist for the Brown Shoe Company, where she became the leading expert on Buster Brown. For twenty years, she taught St. Louis History at Washington University, appreciating the expanding research that reinterprets the city’s past. Kris lives near Tower Grove Park in St. Louis but is originally from the Pacific Northwest where she still spends her summers supporting the local museum.