Jodie Sowell, Ph.D.
Jody Sowell, Ph.D. has served as the seventh president of the Missouri Historical Society since July 2022, the first to hold the role in the institution’s 160-year history after two decades of service within the organization. During his 20 years at the Missouri Historical Society, Dr. Sowell has held several leadership positions, most recently as Managing Director of Public History, where he led the education, programming, publications, communications, evaluation, public history, and exhibitions teams. He also writes and hosts the STL History Minute series, launched in 2021. These weekly 60-second segments air on KMOV’s CBS Sunday Morning and bring St. Louis history beyond the walls of the Missouri History Museum, helping connect the public with the city’s past. The series receives more than three million views each year on KMOV, with additional audiences reached through the Missouri Historical Society’s social media channels. Dr. Sowell has also played a key role in shaping some of the museum’s most successful exhibitions, spearheading eight of the ten most visited exhibits in the organization’s history, including 250 in 250, #1 in Civil Rights, and A Walk in 1875 St. Louis. Although he wasn’t born in St. Louis, Dr. Sowell often says he “got there as fast as he could.” He moved to the city in 2003 with his family to pursue a doctorate in American Studies at Saint Louis University. The family initially expected to leave after he completed his degree, but instead fell in love with the city and made it their home. Dr. Sowell holds a doctorate from Saint Louis University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Missouri–Columbia, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University. He continues to teach occasional classes at Saint Louis University.
Appears in 1 Episode
Two Centuries Shaping St. Louis
In part one of this episode of 1818: A Saint Louis Alumni Podcast, Meg Connolly (A&S ‘90, GRAD A&S ‘92) speaks with SLU alumnus Jody Sowell, Ph.D, president and CEO of...
