Alexandra Kindell
http://alexandra-kindell.squarespace.com/
PERSONAL STATEMENT
I am an educator, a published author, and a skilled editor. I have extensive experience reaching a
broad range of audiences in written format as well as in presentations. After completing my
master’s degree at California State University, Fullerton, I continued to expand both my
historical and editorial training at Iowa State University matriculating in 2006 with a Ph.D. At
these two institutions, I received training in the discipline of history, under the direction of
prolific and respected public historians, learning the craft of presenting history to the public
inside and outside of the classroom. Because of this, I have been working as a freelance editor
for fifteen years, working directly with authors and within the field of publishing on a contract
basis. I am ready to move beyond the confines of academia and to take my skills and experience
into new venues.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
The environment, U.S. land policy, mining history, labor history, rural and agricultural history,
the American West, history of women, history of wildlife protection, water rights, land use and
conflict over land, political history, history of recreation, history of technology, history of
disease and medicine, local history, oral history (historical interviews), political history, history
of Washington D.C, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Experiment Stations, migration and
immigration, institutional history.
ARCHIVAL EXPERIENCE
Federal Government
*U.S. National Archives
*Library of Congress (Jefferson and Madison)
*National Agricultural Library
*Resources from Federal Depository Libraries
State Archives and Libraries
*California State Library
*California State Archive
*State Library of Iowa
*State Historical Society of Iowa
*Various county and local library archival
collections in California and Iowa
Specialized Collections
*Huntington Library, San Marino, CA
*Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, New Haven, CT
*The Bancroft Library, Berkeley, CA
*Various Historical Societies, California, Iowa, Pennsylvania
*University of Iowa Special Collections and University Archives
*Iowa State University Special Collections
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EDUCATION
Doctorate, completed 12/2006
Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Major: History (AHRS Program)
Additional Training: Assisted Dr. Douglas Hurt during his editorial direction of the
Agricultural History journal.
Master's Degree, completed 01/2001
California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Major: History
Additional Training: Research assistant for Dr. Lawrence de Graaf, preparing information and
materials as a member of the Update Committee for the 40th Anniversary Celebration of CSUF.
Bachelor's Degree, completed 08/1997
California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA
Major: History with Honors
Additional Training: Editing practicum completed with Dr. Lawrence deGraaf, a recognized
leader in the field of public history. Awarded recognition for leadership in Phi Alpha Theta
through awards for the best student chapter and best chapter journal.
PROJECT HISTORY
10/2009 – 02/2014: ABC-Clio
Principal Editor and Author: Encyclopedia of Populism in America
Produced a 2-volume, well-reviewed, college-level encyclopedia on American populism. The
entries examine American expressions of political discontent, which broaches complex issues,
controversial ideas, and contested meanings about recent events, especially government figures
and programs.
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Solicited, edited, and fact checked entries written by more than 100 authors and subject
matter experts. Identified gaps in topic coverage, and wrote entries as needed.
Managed and assigned contracts, compensation, and budget items from inception to
completion over a period of five years for about 300 different entries.
Worked collaboratively with the co-editor, subject matter experts, and publishing staff to
complete final product, meeting external and internal deadlines.
12/2001 – 02/2006: Sage Publications
Editor and Author: Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West
Produced a 2-volume encyclopedia on migration and immigration and its impact on national
politics, policy, environment, economics, and social structures. Successfully maintained a
balance between conflicting perspectives, including American Indian origin stories and AngloAmerican conceptions of land use and settlement, including water and resources.
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Solicited, edited, and fact checked entries written by more than 100 authors and subject
matter experts.
Edited for syntax, grammar, and content. Rewrote entries extensively when needed.
Prepared front and back matter. Formatted entire project in compliance with Chicago
Manual of Style, 14th edition, and publishing house guidelines.
Worked collaboratively with the lead editor, subject matter experts, and publishing staff
to complete final product, meeting externally and internally set deadlines. Sensitively
communicated editing and rewrites to assuage authorial discontent.
08/2000 – 06/2002: Iowa State University
Assistant Editor/Editorial Assistant: Agricultural History Journal
Rose from student assistant to assistant editor of a peer-reviewed academic journal. Managed the
editorial office for the editor and monitored other student assistants as needed for various stages
of production. Journal topics focused on agricultural and rural history in the U.S. and beyond
which also encompassed environmental history, land use, land policy, and social and cultural
attitudes toward land.
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Managed and tracked all incoming manuscripts for review. Arranged for review of
manuscripts by subject matter experts. Organized and processed manuscripts as they
moved from the review stage into the editing and publication process.
Edited manuscripts for syntax, grammar, and content. Checking facts and contextual
contradictions. Corresponding with and suggesting revisions to authors.
Proofread all stages of publication, prepared galley and page proofs for the press.
Communicated with press staff.
Chose cover and other images. Wrote and edited captions. Complied with copyright laws
and gained permissions.
Complied with guidelines and policies of the press and overseeing organization.
Worked independently and collaboratively with remote and local staff.
2003 – present: Independent Research and Writing
Published various length works in different publications, contributing a body of work within the
discipline’s cannon. Researched and wrote original manuscripts, identified new interpretations of
facts and synthesized material across disciplines, including history, sociology, anthropology, and
political science. These projects generally focused on western or rural history, emphasizing the
interaction between people and the environment, land policy, land use, politics, economic trends,
and cultural mores.
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Utilized primary sources from various archives and libraries, including government
documents, personal papers (letters, journals, essays), newspapers in print, online, and in
microfilm formats. Also synthesized material from books and articles written by subject
matter experts (secondary sources). Used appropriate citations.
Employed multiple formats, platforms, and library classification systems to find
underutilized materials to build new interpretations. Adept at finding and crossreferencing sources.
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Personally managed research, writing, and publication deadlines. Organized and tracked
various projects longitudinally.
Wrote original lectures for an assortment of courses using both secondary and primary
sources. Presented material verbally, supplementing talks with PowerPoint presentations
with text and images. Explained complex and controversial topics to lay people,
including political, economic, and social aspects of U.S. history as well as diplomatic
relations with other nations. Material also included aspects of military history from all
U.S. wars and police actions as well as environmental history.
Wrote presentations for historical conferences and local colloquiums to present my
original research to other subject matter experts and non specialists.
08/1995 - 12/1995: California State University, Fullerton
Intern: Center for Oral and Public History
Completed a semester-long internship, supplementing my public history training under Dr.
Arthur Hansen.
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Cataloged, assessed, organized, and repaired collections with some supervision. Provided
greater access to the program’s secondary sources by preparing an annotated, crossreferenced bibliography.
Communicated historical information to the public about the center’s holdings by phone
and in person and recommended sources to clients.
INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTS
Review of David B. Danbom, Sod Busting: How Families Made Farms on the NineteenthCentury Plains. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. Western History Quarterly,
forthcoming.
Interview, “Working with Early College Learners,” Office of Learning Technology, Purdue
North Central, (podcast), November 13, 2014, https://www.pnc.edu/distance/olt-podcast/.
Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of American Populism: A Historical Dictionary (2 volumes), ABCCLIO, co-edited with Elizabeth Sherburn Demers, 2014.
Entries, “Bonus Army” and “Streeter, Alson J.,” Encyclopedia of American Populism: A
Historical Dictionary, 2014.
Peer-Reviewed Article, “Washingtonian Agrarianism: Antebellum Reformers and the Agrarian
Image of George Washington,” American Nineteenth Century History 13, no. 3 (2012): 347-70.
Book Review, Review of Philip J. Dreyfus, Our Better Nature: Environment and the Making of
San Francisco. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2008, H-California, August 2010.
Book Chapter, “Yellowstone and National Parks in the West,” Icons of the American West,
Praeger, 2008.
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Entry, “S. S. Fitzgerald” and “Cooking and Cleaning.” The American Midwest: An
Interpretative Encyclopedia, Indiana University Press, 2007.
Dissertation, Settling the Sunset Land: California and its Family Farmers, 1850s-1890s, Iowa
State University, 2006.
Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia of Immigration and Migration in the American West, co-edited with
Gordon M. Bakken, Sage Publications, 2006.
Entry, “Women and Veterinary Medicine.” Encyclopedia of Women in the American West, Sage
Publications, 2003.
Thesis, Preparing the Ground for Progress: Agricultural Reformers and the Intellectual Origins
of the USDA, California State University, Fullerton, 2001.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Purdue University North Central
1401 S. U.S. 421
Westville, IN 46391 United States
08/2013 – 06/2015
Continuing Lecturer and Concurrent Enrollment Liaison
Supervisor: Dr. Cheryl DeLeón, (219) 785-5728, permission to contact
Fully responsible for the creation of U.S. History courses on multiple topics, including the preCivil War era, the modern U.S., reform, women’s history, and the Civil War and Reconstruction.
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Presented material on topics that included politics, military actions, economics, the
environment, diplomacy, and social analysis, placing the United States within a larger
global perspective. This includes legislation, government policy, and constitutional
decisions as well as the impact of implementation of these actions.
Supervised high school instructors participating in the Concurrent Enrollment program.
Monitored and implemented National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships’s
protocols for compliance with national standards. Created assessment tools, provided
leadership, and reported findings to maintain continuity between high-school-based
course and university expectations.
Contributed to departmental and other committees, complying with state and university
directives related to degree programs and curriculum issues. Spearheaded course redesign
of freshmen orientation course for Social Science majors.
Pursued writing, editing, and publishing projects to maintain standing within in the larger
discipline-based community.
Recognized for outstanding teaching by students. Promoted from part-time instructor in
01/2010 (limited-term lecturer) to full-time.
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American Military University
111 W. Congress St.
Charles Town, WV 25414
08/2009 – 03/2014
Instructor (online)
Supervisor: Jon Carleton, (571) 393-5770, permission to contact
Taught one or more courses on U.S. history to mostly military and deployed students.
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Created positive online environments to facilitate constructive communication and
learning. Coordinated military and civilian students, making both historical jargon and
military slang clear to the group as a whole to maintain effective online communication.
Engaged students on historical topics including the political, economic, social,
diplomatic, and military aspects.
Utilized a variety of digital sources for teaching and encouraging inquiry. Taught
students to search for sources using various library platforms.
Indiana University Northwest
3400 Broadway
Gary, IN 46408
08/2007 – 12/2008
Instructor/Visiting Assistant Professor
Supervisor: Diana Chen-Lin, (219) 980-6981, permission to contact
Taught full time and then part time after the Great Recession of 2008 hurt the Indiana economy.
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Taught U.S. history courses at both the lower-division and upper-division course,
especially focusing on the modern U.S. (World Wars I and II).
Lectured, mentored students, and engaged faculty, working both collaboratively within
the department and independently as a course designer and instructor.
Iowa State University
603 Ross Hall
Ames, IA 50011 United States
08/2006 – 05/2007
Instructor
Supervisor: Dr. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg (current chair), 515-294-7286, permission to contact
Taught part-time while completing the final dissertation draft for my graduate degree.
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Lectured to large classes. Supervised teaching assistants.
Wrote lectures for upper-division social history courses.
Prepared courses without supervision. Presented material in lecture and discussion
formats.
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California State University, Fullerton
800 N. State College Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92834-6846
08/2005 - 12/2005
Instructor
Supervisor: Dr. William W. Haddad, (714) 278-3474, permission to contact
Taught part-time while completing the dissertation research for my graduate degree.
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Taught two sections of historical writing, including research, synthesis and analysis,
source evaluation, grammar and syntax editing, and citation. Also instructed students on
use of the various citations styles, especially Chicago Manual of Style and how to use
library classification systems and library platforms. Discussed labor history and
historiography as a part of the course.
Taught one section of California history to undergraduate history and education majors,
including political, social, economic, and environmental aspects in addition to indigenous
and borderlands themes. Supervised graduate student research as a part of the course.
Prepared courses without supervision. Wrote new lectures. Presented material in lecture
and discussion formats.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
 Strong oral and written communication skills.
 Excellent analytical abilities and problem solving skills.
 Proficient in Turabian/Chicago Manual of Style. Competent in MLA and APA and
adapting to house styles.
 Proficient in Microsoft Office Products, especially Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint as
well as various education platforms. Comfortable with digital editing and production.
Competent with Camtasia and SnagIt.
 Attention to detail in small and large projects, balancing multiple projects at once.
 Leadership qualities and ability to speak publicly to various audiences.
 Oral history/interviewing skills.
 Ability to work collaboratively in diverse work environments and independently.
REFERENCES
Available on Request
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