David Shields

Prior to making the move to public history, David taught at the high school and collegiate level for twenty years. From 1988 through to the present time, David has been a constant student himself earning degrees including a BA in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MSc in Strategic Management from Manhattanville College in New York. He also earned an MA and PhD from the London School of Economics and the University of London at Royal Holloway, respectively. In his new role at The Pioneer, David will continue to teach Modern History at Texas Tech University based at the Hill Country University Center.

Before assuming the role as Executive Director of the Pioneer Museum, David served for over 2 ½ years as the Education and Museum Programs Director at the National Museum of the Pacific War (NMPW). During his tenure at the NMPW, David played an instrumental role with his team in expanding the full range of education and public programs for the public winning numerous awards from a variety of organizations including most recently a TAMMIE from the Texas Association of Museums for best Virtual Experience. As a former historical interpretation program developer and writer for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation based at Pilgrim Memorial State Park in Plymouth, David is looking forward to discovering more rich experiences that reveal the lives of the early German settlers and the Spanish and Native People (predominantly Comanche) that lived together and continue to do so in Gillespie County.