Museum Staff

Michael Lynch

Director of the Abraham Lincoln Library, Museum

Michael Lynch received his education in history at Lincoln Memorial University and the University of Tennessee, where he received the prestigious Milton Klein Fellowship. He spent several years at LMU’s Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum as an undergraduate intern and Curatorial Assistant before returning as Director in 2017. His primary research interest is the southern backcountry in the American Revolution. He has been awarded research fellowships from the David Library of the American Revolution, the North Caroliniana Society, and the Center for the Study of War and Society, and is the author of numerous articles and essays on the Revolutionary War, memorialization of the American Revolution, and the late eighteenth-century frontier.

Phone: 423-869-7100

Email: michael.lynch02@lmunet.edu

Dr. Jonathan Smallwood

Assistant Director and Curator, Lincoln Museum

Jonathan W. Smallwood holds a doctorate in Business Administration and has a keen interest in the intersection of entrepreneurial orientation and financial performance, particularly within nonprofit museums. He is the Assistant Director and Curator of the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University, and an adjunct instructor and the Managing Editor of the Lincoln Herald. His educational background includes a Master of Arts in Museum Studies (2010), a Master of Business Administration (2014), and an Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum & Instruction (2016). Notable exhibitions he has curated include “Echoes of Disunion: The Election of 1860,” “Christmas with the Lincoln's,” and “Lincoln Remembered”. He has earned several accolades for his exhibits, including the 2023 Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) Award of Excellence for the permanent exhibit “Lincoln Remembered.”

Email: jonathan.smallwood@lmunet.edu

Phone: 423-869-6422

Alexandria Olson

Museum Archivist and Librarian

Alexandria Olson received two master's degrees from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, in Library and Information Sciences with a certificate in Archival Adminstration and a Master's of the Arts in History. She has interned with the Charles H. Wright African American History Museum, the Detroit Historical Society, and the Rochester Hills Museum at Van Hoosen Farms.

Alexandria is in charge of the paper materials in ALLM's collections; such as books; documents; and photographs. She also uploads digital copies of the collection on Lincoln Memorial University's Institutional Repository and ALLM's finding aids to ArchivesSpace.

Phone: 423-869-6613

Email: alexandria.olson@lmunet.edu

Susan Parker

Program Coordinator, ALLM

Susan is a PhD Candidate in History at Liberty University and holds a Master’s degree in History Education from Grand Canyon University (2023), along with an undergraduate degree in Business Administration (2015). She also serves as an adjunct professor at LMU and is the recipient of the “Emerging Museum Professional Award” from the Tennessee Association of Museums.

Susan is known for creating award-winning public history programs such as The Mary Lincoln Strawberry Party and Visions of Christmas Past, which bring the past to life for audiences of all ages. An active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Committee Treasurer for the Friends of the Wilderness State Park, and an 18th-century reenactor, she is especially passionate about community outreach and early childhood education.

Phone: 423-869-6583

Email: susan.parker@lmunet.edu

Kaleb Jenkins

Museum Specialist

Kaleb Jenkins began working at the museum in October 2023. Kaleb has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Lincoln Memorial University, and in 2023, Kaleb finished his academic career with a Master of Arts degree in History from East Tennessee State University. He was a former intern at the Blount Mansion Historical Site in Knoxville, TN and at the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum during his years as a student at LMU. Kaleb is the copy editor for ALLM's journal publication the Lincoln Herald and aids other museum staff members in their projects.

Phone: 423-869-7076

Email: kaleb.jenkins@lmunet.edu

Michael Harden

Part Time Visitor Services Clerk, ALLM