Marissa Cheifetz
History Program Director

Marissa is thrilled to join King’s Chapel as the new Director of History Program. Originally from New Jersey, Marissa received her BS in Communication Studies and History from Boston University and her MA in Heritage Management from the University of Birmingham. Before joining the team at King’s Chapel, she worked at a New York City based non-profit dedicated to history education managing exhibitions, creating student facing programs, and running grants. Her background in historic sites and visitor services comes from her time with the National Park Service at Longfellow’s House- Washington’s Headquarters in Cambridge and at Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. From beautiful buildings to beautiful mountains, Marissa has always loved history and getting to talk to people about the special places around us.

Outside of work Marissa enjoys visiting museums, musical theater, reading, hiking, and traveling. She is so grateful for the warm welcome she has already received and is excited to become part of the King’s Chapel community!

Educators

William Stilwell
William Stilwell joined King's Chapel's team of History Educators in the fall of 2016. Will earned his B.A. in History from UMass Amherst, and has been working in historical interpretation in Boston since 2015. In addition to working at King's Chapel, he has also worked at the Old North Church & Historic Site, Fenway Park Tours, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and Boston African-American National Historic Park.

Emily Nelms Chastain
​​Rev. Emily Nelms Chastain is a doctoral student at the Boston University School of Theology, focusing on American Religious History, with specific concentrations on both Methodist studies and women’s inclusion in the Church. She graduated from Claremont School of Theology in 2019 with a Master of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Religion, and from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2007 with a B.A. in History. She is an Ordained Deacon and full clergy member of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church. Working at King's Chapel gives her the opportunity to connect her love of American Religious History to the community of Boston and to each visitor's own cultural history. She's an avid college football and basketball fan and follows her alma mater, the UAB Blazers, very closely. Since her arrival in Boston in 2020, she has also adopted the Boston Celtics as her home team. When she's not cheering on her favorite teams, you'll find her nose in some type of book, whether for academic purposes or for pleasure.

Remy Hatfield-Gardner
​An avid reader, and lifelong seeker of knowledge and truth, Rémy was deeply drawn to history at the moment of consciousness. With a passion for colonial, indigenous, and cultural studies, Rémy came to Boston to pursue a Master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts in Boston, completed in the summer of 2020. Previously, Rémy studied American Studies and Earth & Environmental Science at Wesleyan University, completing their degree in 2017. Over the last six years, Rémy has worked with organizations to uplift the perspectives of LGBT, TGNC, and BIPOC communities. Their intense study, in and outside of the classroom, of the history of social injustice within the United States inspires them to use public history as a catalyst for positive change in society. When they are not in deep thought about the state of the world, Rémy loves to cook, to inform others about fitness and nutrition, and enjoys watching and analyzing film.

Lin Nulman
Lin's academic background is in Creative Writing and Literature, with a focus on 18th-century writing, theater history, and material culture. She is interested in how people understood, and created identity through, objects both in life and on the stage. She enjoys writing for the History Program's website, and sharing the chapel’s objects and stories with visitors. Lin has taught college writing for many years, is a poet, freelancer, and blogger, and is building up the notes and stamina to begin a book. She joined the History Program in 2018, and also serves as King's Chapel's verger, overseeing weekly concerts and services. Lin loves the shore, learning local ecology, detective fiction, and theater.

Mitchell Bryan
​Mitchell Bryan is a lifelong student of history. From an early age, museums have been a focus of his personal life and eventually his professional career. As an undergraduate student at Central Michigan University, he studied history and museum studies with a focus on museum education. For his graduate studies in cultural resource management at CMU, he served as a graduate assistant in museum collections and worked to monitor and preserve collections at multiple cultural institutions throughout Michigan. Through his education and work as a museum professional, he has developed a deep passion for the care of museum artifacts and their integration into educational programming.

After moving to Boston, Mitchell joined the King's Chapel History Program in 2020 and worked to develop online exhibits and resources for King's Chapel. As an on-site educator, he enjoys exploring how changes in the Chapel's use throughout time are informed directly by the lives and beliefs of its inhabitants. Apart from King's Chapel, Mitchell enjoys playing music, watching sci-fi television, and spending time with his wife.