Karen Staser

In 1982, Karen Staser was asked by her father-in-law to name five historical women who were famous for their own and not because of their husbands. Staser, who graduated from San Francisco State University with a Master’s Degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, could not think of merely five women. This occasion led her to 13 years of self-directed research about historic American women and their place in US history. While searching, reading, and studying, Staser learned that documented US history hardly included the stories of the women who shaped the county.

Relocating due to her husband’s new job in Washington, DC, in 1994, she noticed that there are different Smithsonian museums, but none devoted to women’s history and legacy. The realization that women were still invisible led her to take action and establish a museum in the nation’s capital that would be dedicated to the legacy of American women, showcasing their achievements and contributions to the country. Thus, In 1995 the National Women’s History Museum was founded.

In its first five years, Staser was the only full-time person working at the museum, serving as its first chair and president, and gathered strong women to join her on the board. NWHM’s first project was leading the campaign to relocate the Group Portrait Monument, honoring the women’s suffrage leaders, to the US Capitol Rotunda. After two years of struggle, they succeeded. The dedication ceremony occurred on Mother’s Day in 1997.

By the end of the 20th century, NWHM established a board and grew its staff. As the museum has worked towards establishing itself in a physical location on the National Mall, it continued to grow in other ways, including – a website with online exhibits, the annual National Women Making History Awards, national fundraising events, traveling exhibitions all over the US, and many more.

In 2000, Staser relocated to Alaska following her husband’s new assignment and resigned from NWHM.

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