2025 Stephen L Barstow Art & Design Lecture
CMU 2010 Art & Design Alumna
Captain Jessica L Wagner
Heritage and Preservation Officer
US Army 38 Golf/6Victors  Jessica L. Wagner is a Captain with the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), USACAPOC(A), and 353rd Civil Affairs Command. She serves as a Heritage and Preservation Officer, or 6 Victor, in the 38 Golf Program. The 38 Golf/6 Victors are a revitalization of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Unit of World War II with a focus on fulfilling the requirements of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Jessica has over 13 years of experience within the U.S. and international cultural sector. Her career has centered around heritage preservation, development, public outreach, education and engagement within cultural institutions. Jessica is currently the Director of Education for the Durham Museum, a Smithsonian-Affiliate in Omaha, NE. She attended undergraduate at Central Michigan University, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts, and graduate school at the University of Manchester, Centre for Museology: Institute for Cultural Practices, completing a Master of Arts focusing on cultural property spoliation and restitution, and receiving 1st class distinction honors. Jessica completed supplemental history of art and architecture and politics postgraduate coursework with Oxford University, Kellogg College.
Her current academic research explores the role of cultural property protection in the prevention of crimes against humanity. She has presented her work with the U.S. Naval War College, Naval Academy, the Naval History and Heritage Command, the University of Oxford, and Harvard University. Jessica has worked alongside the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Stability and Human Affairs, and the Hellenic Multinational Peace Support Operations Training Center. Jessica serves at the Preservation Subcommittee Lead for the International Collaborative Committee For Sudan Heritage Preservation & Advocacy.
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