Stephanie Haught Wade will be director of Historic Arkansas Museum (HAM), an agency of Arkansas Heritage, which is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. Wade has been a historian with the Department of Arkansas Heritage (DAH) since 2017, where she managed the Arkansas Historical Marker Program and was a member and administrator of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commemoration Committee. She will begin work on April 5 at a salary of $65,000.

Wade is a native Arkansan and holds a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in history from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. After graduation, she worked at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History. 

She is a member of the American Historical Association and a life member of the Arkansas Historical Association. She has an article in the upcoming issue of the “Arkansas Historical Quarterly,” and her community service affiliations include serving as the Fine Arts Club board treasurer for the Arkansas Arts Center and chapter historian and literacy promotion chair for the Little Rock Centennial Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. 

“We look forward to Stephanie’s leadership at HAM,” said DAH Director Jimmy Bryant. “Her work will continue the fine legacy of its Arkansas Made Collection, storied knife gallery, and wonderful living history programming.”

“Stephanie will be a positive force for HAM with her background in history,” said James M. “Butch” Warren, chair of the Historic Arkansas Museum Commission. “She will continue to interpret Arkansas history through HAM’s historic houses and our Arkansas Made Collection and will add to our Arkansas historical record. Stephanie is bringing a unique blend of work experiences that will continue to make HAM an exceptional institution.”