Sara Bon-Harper

Sara Bon-Harper is the executive director of James Monroe’s Highland, a division of the College of William & Mary. Sara’s experience at Highland since 2012 includes initiating new site directions, most notably developing evidence-based public narratives in collaboration with Highland’s descendant community. Sara’s research leading to the archaeological discovery of the Monroes’ main house was a key factor in opening a door to the current chapter of Highland’s interpretation. She is an archaeologist and former archaeological research manager at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. While at Monticello she interpreted archaeological data for non-specialist audiences, including front-line museum educators and the public. Prior to working at Highland, Sara taught research skills in the BIS program at the University of Virginia, examining the interpretation of research in popular, scholarly, and educational contexts. Her academic areas of interest include community engagement in museums, landscapes of slavery, and the role of historic narratives for academic and public audiences. She earned a B.A. in anthropology and classics at the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.