John Smoley

2008 CPF Conference
Smoley and Lucinda Woodward of the California State Office of Historic Preservation will be delivering a joint presentation on building, maintaining, and repairing historic preservation programs at the 2008 California Preservation Foundation Conference.

Public History

Graduate Student
B.A., U.S. Military Academy West Point; M.A., Minnesota State University Mankato
Email: hedstj1@hotmail.com
Advisor: Randy Bergstrom

A doctoral candidate in the Public History Program run jointly by the University of California, Santa Barbara and California State University, Sacramento, John Smoley is nearing completion of his dissertation on public memory and preservation of Cold War air defense missile bases. (more...)

His most recent work experience is in the fields of historic preservation and urban planning. Coming from the City of Santa Barbara, where he worked within the proven framework of one of the oldest historic preservation programs in the nation, Smoley transitioned to Elk Grove, the fastest growing city in the nation in 2005, and helped create the city’s historic preservation program. Although it is one of California’s newest cities, Elk Grove has landmarks dating back to the first half of the nineteenth century, and has benefited from grassroots preservation activities for over thirty years. Smoley's previous experience includes work as Collections Manager of the Blue Earth County Historical Society (Minnesota) and as an officer in the United States Army.