Shelby Boatman

Shelby Boatman, Executive Director

Graduating from Wilmington High School, Shelby is a Clinton County native. Shelby earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science from Ashland University and is an Ashbrook Scholar alumna, as well as a Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History scholar.  Shelby later completed her Master of Arts in Public History at Northern Kentucky University. Her civic and professional involvement has included Leadership Clinton (Class of 2020), service as a Wilmington Noon Rotarian, and past work as an adjunct professor of public history at Wilmington College. She currently serves as a member of the George Clinton Chapter – Daughters of the American Revolution, contributing columnist for the Wilmington News Journal, and is a member of the Cape May Advisory Board and the Outstanding Women of Clinton County committee.

In her second term as Region 8 co-representative for the Ohio Local History Alliance, Shelby supports history organizations across Adams, Brown, Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton, Highland, and Warren counties. She created the History Center’s signature living-history cemetery walk, Talking Tombstones, in 2021 at Sugar Grove Cemetery. Over five years, the program became an award-winning success, earning the Ohio Local History Alliance Outstanding Achievement Award in Public Programming. Shelby lives in Wilmington, Ohio with her family and enjoys visiting historic sites in her spare time. Her passion lies in sharing her knowledge with others in the public history field to help improve the profession and support the important work historians, historical societies, and other champions of history do on a daily basis.