Matthew S. Gibson

Executive Director of The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities (VFH) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew S. Gibson as executive director. With deep knowledge of and passion for the public humanities, experience leading diverse and innovative public humanities programming, and extensive relationships with humanities scholars and partners across Virginia and the nation, Gibson will lead VFH after having served as the organization’s director of digital initiatives and creator and editor of its Encyclopedia Virginia for eleven years.

A nationally recognized expert in digital humanities, Gibson succeeds VFH’s founding president, Robert C. Vaughan III, who will retire in June after forty-three years of exceptional leadership. Gibson was selected through a national search yielding more than 70 applications, led by the University of Virginia’s executive vice president and provost Thomas C. Katsouleas.

“Matthew will build on the spirit of innovation, inclusion, and excellence that Rob has inspired here at VFH,” says VFH Board chairwoman Barbara J. Fried. “The humanities help us understand each other and what it means to be human in a changing and complex world. This work has never been more important than it is today, and Matthew is the perfect steward of our mission to connect people and ideas, sharing Virginia’s diverse stories so we can create a better future together.”

“VFH has become a national model for public humanities programming, and I relish the chance to collaborate with our staff, board, and partners on the organization’s next chapter,” says Gibson. “We're in an ideal position to facilitate experiences for Virginians of all ages—experiences that encourage meaningful connections through our commonalities as well as respect for our differences. I am excited and humbled by the opportunity to bring my experience and passion to this important work.”

While at VFH, Gibson has created an endowment of more than $1,800,000 to sustain its award-winning Encyclopedia Virginia and led projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities totaling more than $800,000. Prior to joining VFH in 2005, he served as assistant director and then associate director of the University of Virginia Library’s Electronic Text Center. "Etext," as it was once known, was one of the University's early efforts to foster digital scholarship and create digital access to the school's library collections. Gibson received his Ph.D. (2005) and a master's degree (1999) in English, both from the University of Virginia. In 1995, he graduated magna cum laude from the College of Charleston, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. Gibson lives in Charlottesville with his wife Jennifer Billingsly and their children Frannie and Bennett.