Adrienne Nirdé

Adrienne Nirdé was appointed as the Director of the NC African American Heritage Commission in June 2023.  Prior to this role, she served as the Commission's Associate Director where her role focused on grant project management, heritage trails, and communications.

For over ten years Adrienne has worked in museums and cultural institutions including the President James K. Polk State Historic Site in Pineville, NC, and the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby, NC. She holds a master's degree in museum studies and bachelor's degrees in history and anthropology, all from Indiana University. Adrienne is a graduate of the Jekyll Island Management Institute and the Smithsonian's Ethical Interpretation Workshop. Adrienne has always had a primary interest in sharing diverse stories, particularly those have not yet been told and centering the communities that hold them. Adrienne lives in Wendell, NC with her husband and their daughter.