John Tucker
Assistant Director
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John Tucker is responsible for overseeing the business operations and finances at the South Carolina Historical Society. Born and raised in North Carolina, John is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has more than thirty-nine years management and supervisory experience with the National Park Service, state parks, and non-profit friend’s groups. He is responsible for financial management, human resources, information technology, and administrative operations for the Society. Prior to joining the Society in 2006, John was superintendent of Fort Sumter National Monument including Fort Moultrie and the Charles Pinckney National Historic Site. After retiring from the National Park Service in 2006, he and his wife chose to remain in the beautiful lowcountry.

Gloria Perla
Programs Coordinator
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As programs coordinator, Gloria Perla ensures the coordination of all of the Society's events and programs. She came to Charleston from western New York for a vacation three decades ago and has never left. After completing her M.A. in American history from The Citadel, Gloria began volunteering with the Society in 2002 processing manuscript collections. During this time she was also instrumental in organizing the Society’s ephemera collection. In 2005, she became the programs coordinator and in recent years has planned a variety of historical functions for the Society, including parades, house tours, book-signings, battle reenactments, black-tie dinners, auctions, and lecture series. Gloria’s interest is in social history, particularly silent film, which was the basis for her master’s thesis. 

Stephanie Patterson
Membership Manager
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Stephanie Patterson administers the accounts of and corresponds with the Society’s members. She moved here from McLean, Virginia, in 2001 to attend College of Charleston. She graduated in 2005 with a B.A. in arts management and minors in Spanish and art history. After graduation, Stephanie worked as framer for Tidwell Art Gallery and volunteered on a regular basis with the Charleston Museum. She started working at the Society in March 2006 on a grant to organize maps and plats and enter their information into our online catalog. In addition to working part-time on the grant, she also worked at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in downtown Charleston, until she became the Society’s full-time membership manager in May 2006.

Matthew A. Lockhart
Editor, South Carolina Historical Magazine
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Matthew Lockhart is editor of the South Carolina Historical Magazine. Originally from Landrum, South Carolina, he holds a B.A. in history from Wofford College and an M.A. in history from the University of South Carolina, where he is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in history. Matthew’s articles and reviews have been published in the South Carolina Historical Magazine, the Georgia Historical Quarterly, the Public Historian, and the Southeastern Geographer. He also has contributed entries to The South Carolina Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. Matthew chairs the George C. Rogers, Jr. Book Award and the Malcolm C. Clark Article Award Committees.

Katherine W. Giles
Editor, Carologue
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Katherine Giles is editor of Carologue, the Society’s quarterly general-interest magazine. Born and raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she graduated from the University of Georgia in 2000 with a B.A. in English literature. She went on to work in Atlanta as a book reviewer and production editor for Bas Bleu, a book-catalog company. Although she loved being paid to read, she relocated to Charleston in 2007 to escape Atlanta traffic. Katherine also works as a freelance writer and designer.

Karen Stokes
Processing Archivist
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Karen Stokes has been an archivist with the Society since 1994. She has a B.A. in English from the College of Charleston and an M.A. in library and information science from the University of South Carolina. Her main focus is the processing and cataloging of our wonderful manuscript collection, and her primary area of interest is South Carolina in the Confederacy. She has published a number of articles on South Carolina history, and is the co-editor of Faith, Valor, and Devotion: The Civil War Letters of William Porcher Dubose, a collection of correspondence in our archive, which will be published by the University of South Carolina Press in 2010.

Mary Jo Fairchild
Archivist
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Mary Jo Fairchild oversees archival operations and works with patrons in the library. A native of West Virginia, Mary Jo moved to Charleston in order to attend college. After receiving B.A. degrees in anthropology and history, both from the College of Charleston, Mary Jo began working at the Society in 2007 while she was completing her M.A. in history from the joint program at the College of Charleston and The Citadel.