Michelle Needham

Background

About Michelle Needham

Michelle Needham took on the role of Director of Education Programs and Exhibits in July 2022. Her untraditional path to public history brings a unique perspective to the position. She spent her youth as a Maker-of-Things, expressing her creativity through fabric and found objects. Her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Alberta, Canada, prepared her to apply the scientific method to everything she does while respecting and maintaining the dignity of people in all stages and circumstances of life. She immersed herself in the study of child development, neuropsychology, and pedagogy related to exceptional and atypical learning styles as the home educator. She gleaned techniques from public school teachers over the 5 years she was an elementary classroom tutor. And from her love of nonfiction literature, her passion for history blossomed. Durham is Michelle’s adopted home. She often shares how she has fallen in love with the people, the culture, and Durham’s rich history. She is honored to showcase Durham and its remarkable residents, beginning with Civil Rights Leader Floyd B. McKissick Sr. in the Life and Legacy of Floyd B. McKissick Sr. at the museum, The Hayti Heritage Center, and the NCCU Turner Law Building, Provident 1898 and Durham Tech Community College. Her current exhibit, Stranger Times, explores the COVID-19 pandemic through the eyes of Durham teens using Durham’s Ross and Matt Duffer’s Emmy-award-winning Netflix series Stranger Things’ Upside Down as a platform for its presentation. She recently completed the Joyce Clayton Thorpe Nichols Commemorative Alcove at The Joyce Apartments, honoring the first female Physician's Assistant in the United States and former Durham Housing Authority Commissioner. She looks forward to sharing more historical nuggets with the city of Durham for years to come.