Sherry Paula Watkins

Executive Director



Cultural promoter. Futurist. Power Tool Wielder. 

she/her/hers

As an active contributor in the humanities community for nearly 20 years, Sherry Paula brings a wealth of experience and passion for innovative public humanities programming, cultural experiences, and meaningful dialogue. Serving as the Executive Director since 2013, Sherry Paula oversees North Carolina Humanities’ strategic initiatives for promoting the public humanities in North Carolina. During her previous 10-year tenure as Assistant Director and South Carolina Book Festival Director at SC Humanities, Sherry Paula was presented the key to the City of Columbia for her extensive service to the cultural and literary arts, and May 18, 2013 was designated as Paula Watkins Day. Today, Sherry Paula works to convene North Carolina communities to discover new ideas and broaden their perspectives. Sherry Paula currently serves on the Federation of State Humanities Councils Board of Directors, the national member association of the US state and jurisdictional humanities councils.

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