Jody Sowell started his career as a journalist and then a professor before moving into museums. Seventeen years ago, he took a temporary position at the Missouri Historical Society because he had fallen in love with St. Louis and wanted to tell stories of the community. That temporary position ultimately led to Sowell taking over the reins as president of the organization.
The Missouri Historical Society serves as the confluence of historical perspectives and contemporary issues to inspire and engage audiences in the St. Louis region and beyond. “We believe the more people know about their community’s past, the more interested they will be in its present and the more invested they will be in its future,” said Sowell.
According to Sowell, museums are at their best when they act less like a classroom and are instead more like a family reunion. “They are at their best when they avoid lecturing people about why history is important and instead grab visitors by the hand and say ‘have I got a story to tell you,’” he said.
Under Sowell’s leadership, the organization has hosted popular exhibits like “Our Olympics,” detailing the first Olympics held in the United States in the summer of 1904 in St. Louis. Sewell and his staff also created award-winning exhibits that commemorated the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum welcomed more than 400,000 visitors annually and Sowell oversaw the development of the Missouri History Museum’s first permanent exhibit for children, the History Clubhouse, which won an Award of Merit from the American Association of State and Local History. Sowell also transitioned to online programming during the pandemic closure and debuted as the host of STL History Minutes, which airs weekly during CBS’s Sunday Morning broadcast.
As a leader in the industry, Sowell has been invited to share presentations such as “New Strategies for Inclusive Museums” for local and national audiences. His passion for St. Louis is contagious, said his staff.
“I want my staff to be focused on creating the best tour, field trip, exhibit or event they can, but I also remind them that their work is one piece of a much larger effort to introduce people to a St. Louis they have never met,” said Sowell. “They are part of building a stronger future for St. Louis; that kind of big picture thinking is important for a president to share.”
For continuing to share and emphasize the importance of St. Louis’ history, Sowell has been named a titan.
