Priya Chhaya

Over the years I have spoken—primarily at conferences—as a moderator, and as a panelist. Topics include public history, historical storytelling, preservation practice, history communication, writing, and on occasion pop culture. My philosophy is to always connect with the audience, to be conversational (yet professional), and to keep those listening engaged wherever possible.

2021: Moderator—What Happens Next: Creating an Intentional Public History Practice in 2021 (with Nicole Moore, B. Erin Cole, and Will Stoutamire).

PastForward:

2021: Re-framing History for Public Audiences with John Marks, AASLH and Cindy Olnick, Cindy Olnick Communications
2019: Making the Vote Count: The Legacy of the 19th Amendment (on CSPAN), PastForward 101. Led development of content on Women’s History including keynote on Celebrating Women’s History at RedRocks
2018: Managed track on resilience, and developed track on diversity & inclusion (panels on allyship, communication, the National Register, and Monuments & Memorials)
2017: Co-Managed the Technology Track for PastForward, Moderator and Organizer for a panel on Transmedia Storytelling. 
2011: Moderator, Careers in Preservation

National Public History Conference

2020: Moderator: Engaging Communities, Effecting Change: Using Historic Preservation to #TellTheFullHistory
2019: Moderator: Preservation Leadership Training on Repair Work: Telling the Full History at Historic Sites
2018: Co-Chair Program Committee, Keynote Moderator: Breaking Barriers in Public Storytelling
2016: Panelist and Moderator: Challenging Perceptions of Preservation
2012: Working Group Co-Chair, Sustainability and Public History
2010: Moderator, Heritage of a World in Trust: Conservation in A Changing Climate
2009: Moderator, America’s Historic Sites at a Crossroads
2007: Presenter, “A Sense of Place”: “The Moodie Forester: Historic Trees, Places and the Past in the American Psyche”

Other

Guest Speaker on Fangirls Going Rogue Podcast at Star Wars Celebration: Topic: History, Fantasy and Storytelling (Timestamp: 25:00)

In December 2009 I was invited by a former history teacher, James Percoco, to speak at the keynote address at the Teaching American History Annual Project Directors Conference.  The purpose of the talk was to discuss the impact of history education on my work as a historian. This was followed by a brief interview about the “hooks” used to evoke the past in education for the National History Education Clearinghouse.