Lily Santoro

Dr. Lily Santoro is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of History and the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri, teaching early American History and public History while serving as faculty advisor for the Kinder MA program in Atlantic History and Politics. She leads the Kinder Public History ASH Team in documenting the US Semiquincentennial through student-created podcasts, vlogs, and museum exhibits.

Her educational credentials include advanced degrees and specialized training in historical scholarship and preservation:

• Ph.D. and M.A. in American History, University of Delaware
• B.A. in History, University of Southern California
• Certificate in Museum Studies, University of Delaware
• Certificate in Digital Archives and Records Management, San Jose State University

Dr. Santoro's research examines intersections of science, religion, and citizenship in 19th-century African American newspapers, analyzing discourses on scientific racism and identity formation. Her scholarship extends to early national print culture, exploring how almanacs and periodicals shaped national identity in the Anglophone Atlantic world, while her public history work bridges academic rigor with community engagement through digital preservation and exhibition design.

As a Voices & Votes scholar for Missouri Humanities, she develops community exhibitions on American democracy and spearheads the Southeast Missouri History Gateway project, providing digitization resources to under-resourced cultural institutions. Her leadership in public history initiatives creates tangible pathways for students and communities to engage with historical narratives through accessible digital platforms and physical exhibits.