Short Bio
Dr. Heather K. Calloway is a leader in academic and cultural collections, specializing in the preservation and interpretation of fraternal and religious material culture. She is widely recognized for advancing access to underrepresented histories.
Her work bridges collections and audiences through teaching, research, and emerging technologies, including augmented and virtual reality. A frequent speaker and educator, she has received national recognition for her contributions to Masonic scholarship and collections stewardship.
Full Bio
Dr. Heather K. Calloway is a leader in the stewardship, interpretation, and advancement of academic and cultural collections. Her work focuses on connecting people with the material record of history through teaching, research, and public engagement.
In 2022, her team opened a new teaching, research, and exhibition space in the renovated historic McCalla School in Bloomington, Indiana. This space enables students, scholars, and community members to engage directly with artifacts, art, and archival materials from across Indiana University’s vast collections.
Heather’s research centers on the preservation of fraternal and religious material culture. In 2025, she received the Award of Merit from the Philalethes Society, recognizing significant contributions to Masonic education and knowledge. Founded in 1928, the Philalethes Society is the oldest Masonic research organization in North America.
In 2021, she co-founded the Center for Fraternal Collections & Research at Indiana University, advancing efforts to collect, preserve, and interpret the histories of underrepresented fraternal organizations. The Center followed the original establishment of the Historical Society of American Fraternalism, created with Seth Anthony and Mark Tabbert in 2015 for the same purposes.
Her work also explores innovative approaches to engaging audiences with primary sources, including the use of augmented and virtual reality in collaboration with students. She has taught courses in research methods, genealogy, archives, preservation of family heirlooms, museum management, digitization, and collections care.
Heather co-founded The Augmented Archives Project, with colleague Raven Bishop, an initiative designed to expand access to primary source materials through emerging technologies. The project received the 2018 Campus Technology Impact Award in the category of Education Futurists.
Prior to her work at Indiana University, she spent 14 years at the headquarters of the Scottish Rite Freemasons in Washington, D.C., serving as Museum Curator and Managing Director of Digital & Social Media. She also held positions as the inaugural archivist for Archives & Special Collections at Washington College, University Archivist for the Perdue Museum and Archives at Salisbury University, and Librarian/Archivist for the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C.
Heather holds a doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Theological Studies from the Iliff School of Theology. She earned her BA in Religious Studies and Political Science from the University of New Mexico.
Her publications and lectures focus on the preservation and interpretation of archival, museum, and library collections. She is widely recognized for her leadership in preserving unique and underrepresented collections and has spoken to national and international audiences, including fraternal organizations and community groups.
A member of the Cherokee Nation, Heather is a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has served on the national Board of the Archives for the Episcopal Church and is a co-founder and director of the Historical Society for American Fraternalism. She currently serves as Vice President and board member for the J.H. Rathbone Museum and Resource Center. An active volunteer with Alpha Chi Omega, she was recognized as Outstanding Organization Advisor in 2016 and 2018.
