Current Leadership
2024-2025 Officers
President: Lindsey Meza
Lindsey Meza (she/her) is in her second and final year as a graduate student in the Public History MA program. Originally from Lake in the Hills, IL, Lindsey was ecstatic to come back to the Chicago area to continue her studies. She is very passionate about the history of Latinas in the city, inspired by her grandma who immigrated to Chicago from Ecuador in the 1980s. As part of the board, Lindsey is looking forward to fostering community amongst students and encouraging connections between them and the city.
Vice President: Minela Muminovic
Minela Muminovic (she/her) is a second year History MA student. Minela’s research interests include medieval history, ancient history, and the history of religion. She is fluent in seven languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovenian, Russian, Slovak, and French, and she’s currently learning three more languages: Latin, ancient Greek, and German.
Secretary: Lia Thibault
Lia Thibault (they/them) is a history MA student originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They specialize in transnational history, anticolonial history, the history of foreign affairs and diplomacy, and social and cultural history. As secretary, they're excited to help people build connections and create a close community within the department and the broader historical field.
Media Coordinator: Marin Burke
Marin Burke (she/her) is a second year Public History MA student. Originally from Tampa, Florida, she earned a bachelor’s in history and Latin American Studies from the University of Tampa. Marin’s academic interests include textiles and women’s material culture, migration studies, borderlands history, and the modern Southeastern United States. As Media Coordinator, she’ll be found promoting all things HGSA via @luc.hgsa on Instagram!
Treasurer and Conference Committee Co-Chair: Connor Barnes
Connor Barnes (he/him) is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Public and American History. Connor specializes in urban history, the history of education, and public history. This past summer, he worked at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois, where he cooked historically significant recipes and shared them with the public.
Conference Committee Co-Chair: Eleanor Carter
Eleanor is a second-year PhD student in the joint American history & public history program. She hails from the small mountain town of Ashland, Oregon, and obtained her BA from Vassar College in Upstate New York. Eleanor’s research interests include the intersection of public memory, intellectual/cultural history, and the American West. She is also a voracious consumer of music, an aspiring ultra runner, and lover of all things beer.
Chair, Dissertation Writing Group: Anthony Stamilio
Anthony Stamilio is a US History and Public History PhD student at Loyola University Chicago. His research focuses on the influence of celebrity on political culture and identity in the nineteenth century with a concentration on Theatre during the Civil War era. Originally from New Orleans, Anthony moved to Chicago to study acting at the Chicago College of Performing Arts after which he performed in dozens of plays in the Midwest. In 2020, he graduated with an MA in Public History before pursuing a PhD, and he is devoted to interpretation, preservation, and production of history.
2024-2025 Officers
President: Lindsey Meza
Lindsey Meza (she/her) is in her second and final year as a graduate student in the Public History MA program. Originally from Lake in the Hills, IL, Lindsey was ecstatic to come back to the Chicago area to continue her studies. She is very passionate about the history of Latinas in the city, inspired by her grandma who immigrated to Chicago from Ecuador in the 1980s. As part of the board, Lindsey is looking forward to fostering community amongst students and encouraging connections between them and the city.
Vice President: Minela Muminovic
Minela Muminovic (she/her) is a second year History MA student. Minela’s research interests include medieval history, ancient history, and the history of religion. She is fluent in seven languages: Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Slovenian, Russian, Slovak, and French, and she’s currently learning three more languages: Latin, ancient Greek, and German.
Secretary: Lia Thibault
Lia Thibault (they/them) is a history MA student originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They specialize in transnational history, anticolonial history, the history of foreign affairs and diplomacy, and social and cultural history. As secretary, they're excited to help people build connections and create a close community within the department and the broader historical field.
Media Coordinator: Marin Burke
Marin Burke (she/her) is a second year Public History MA student. Originally from Tampa, Florida, she earned a bachelor’s in history and Latin American Studies from the University of Tampa. Marin’s academic interests include textiles and women’s material culture, migration studies, borderlands history, and the modern Southeastern United States. As Media Coordinator, she’ll be found promoting all things HGSA via @luc.hgsa on Instagram!
Treasurer and Conference Committee Co-Chair: Connor Barnes
Connor Barnes (he/him) is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Public and American History. Connor specializes in urban history, the history of education, and public history. This past summer, he worked at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, Illinois, where he cooked historically significant recipes and shared them with the public.
Conference Committee Co-Chair: Eleanor Carter
Eleanor is a second-year PhD student in the joint American history & public history program. She hails from the small mountain town of Ashland, Oregon, and obtained her BA from Vassar College in Upstate New York. Eleanor’s research interests include the intersection of public memory, intellectual/cultural history, and the American West. She is also a voracious consumer of music, an aspiring ultra runner, and lover of all things beer.
Chair, Dissertation Writing Group: Anthony Stamilio
Anthony Stamilio is a US History and Public History PhD student at Loyola University Chicago. His research focuses on the influence of celebrity on political culture and identity in the nineteenth century with a concentration on Theatre during the Civil War era. Originally from New Orleans, Anthony moved to Chicago to study acting at the Chicago College of Performing Arts after which he performed in dozens of plays in the Midwest. In 2020, he graduated with an MA in Public History before pursuing a PhD, and he is devoted to interpretation, preservation, and production of history.