Folklife
Florida Folklife Program
Florida Folklife Council Members
The Florida Folklife Council consists of seven members appointed by the Secretary of State to provide geographical, ethnic, and
professional representation. During their four-year terms, Folklife Council members advise and assist the Division of Historical
Resources and the Florida Folklife Program with respect to the following goals: encouragement of statewide public interest and
participation in folklife; the development and promotion of Florida folklife resources; recommendations for the identification,
collection, preservation, and presentation of Florida cultural heritage throughout the state; and developing proposals to fund projects.
Meetings, Summaries & Minutes
Upcoming Meetings & Materials || Archived Meetings & Materials
Dr. Peggy A. Bulger
Folklorist
1949 Springbrook Road
Fernandina Beach, Florida 32034
Term: Appointed to August 31, 2015
Dr. Peggy A. Bulger retired from the American Folklife Center in 2011, where she held the position of
Director since 1999. Dr. Bulger was Florida's first state folklorist (1975-1988), serving initially as
State Folk Arts Coordinator, and then as administrator of the Florida Folklife Program. She also spent
ten years as Folk Arts Director and Senior Program Officer for the Southern Arts Federation (now South Arts).
Dr. Bulger served as president of the American Folklore Society, co-authored South Florida Folklife, and
edited Musical Roots of the South.
She has produced several recordings, including Deep South Musical Roots Tour
and Drop On Down in Florida, and has also directed several ethnographic films.
Dr. Bulger earned a Ph.D. in Folklore and Folklife
from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation is a study of folklorist and activist Stetson Kennedy,
who was the director of folklore, oral history, and ethnic studies for the Florida Writers' Project of the WPA
during the 1930s and 1940s. Dr. Bulger has recently returned to Florida, where she continues to be active in
the field of folklife with research projects and consultancies.
Dr. Larry Crook
Music Department & Center for World Arts
PO Box 117900
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-7900
Term: Reappointed to December 31, 2016
Associate Professor Larry Crook specializes in music history and ethnomusicology
at the University of Florida's School of Music, where he directs the World Music
Ensembles (Jacaré Brazil and Agbedidi Africa). Dr. Crook is also co-director of the
UF Center for World Arts and is actively involved in planning artistic residencies
to bring renowned international musicians and performing artists to work collaboratively
on projects with faculty, students, and community members. He is an affiliate member of
the Center for Latin American Studies and Center for African Studies, and holds a joint
appointment in the department of Anthropology. A percussionist, he has studied with many
artists from Latin America and Africa. Dr. Crook's research focuses on Brazilian music,
the African Diaspora, music and identity, popular music, and music and social
movements. He is co-editor of Black Brazil: Culture, Identity, and Social
Mobilization and author of Brazilian Music: Northeastern Traditions and the
Heartbeat of a Modern Nation.
Dr. José B. Fernández
Office of the Dean, College of Arts and Humanities
University of Central Florida
Orlando, Florida 32816-1990
Term: Reappointed to December 31, 2014
José B. Fernández is Pegasus Professor of History and Foreign Languages and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the
University of Central Florida. He is the author of numerous books and articles on Spanish colonial letters of the United States
and Hispanic literature of the United States. He is a former Chair of the Florida Folklife Council and past President of the
Florida Historical Society. Additionally, he is a Presidential appointee to the National Museum of the American Latino Commission.
He received his Ph.D. in Spanish from Florida State University.
Dr. Annette B. Fromm
Coordinator/Assistant Professor Museum Studies
The Patricia and Phillip Frost Art Museum
Florida International University
10975 SW 17th Street
Miami, FL 33199
Term: Reappointed to December 31, 2016
Annette B. Fromm is the Coordinator of the Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies program at Florida International University.
Dr. Fromm, a folklorist and museum specialist, has over thirty years of experience in museums and community projects in Ohio,
Oklahoma, and Florida. Her work has ranged from institutions which emphasize ethnic cultural diversity to historic preservation.
Dr. Fromm has published articles on immigrant-ethnic groups in America, Native Americans in museums, multicultural museums,
historic preservation and community, Jews in Greece, Sephardic folklore, Greek folklore, and folk art. Fromm serves as President
of the International Committee of Museums of Ethnography, an international committee of the International Council of Museums.
Dr. Jerrilyn McGregory
Department of English
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-1036
Term: Reappointed to August 18, 2015
Jerrilyn McGregory, Associate Professor of Folklore in the Department
of English at Florida State University, specializes in African-American
literature and folklore. She is the author of Wiregrass Country, about the
folklife of the wiregrass region of north Florida, as well as numerous
articles in scholarly journals. Her specific research areas include: regional
folklore, African American folklore, African American literature, African
Diaspora Studies, onomastics, and Boxing Day celebrations.
Timothy F. Schmand
Executive Director, Bayfront Park Management Trust
301 N. Biscayne Boulevard
Miami, Florida 33132
Term: Reappointed to January 1, 2015
Mr. Schmand is the Executive Director of the Bayfront Park Management
Trust, a City of Miami agency responsible for managing 61 acres of urban
waterfront parkland. The facilities under his management are among the
most popular special event sites serving Miami's diverse
communities. Mr. Schmand is also an award-winning author whose fiction
has appeared in both popular and literary journals. He possesses a B.A. in
Political Science from State University College of New York at Buffalo and
an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College.
Dana Ste.Claire
Director, Department of Heritage Tourism and Historic Preservation
PO Box 210
St. Augustine, FL 32085-0210
Term: Reappointed to May 31, 2013
Dana Ste. Claire is currently the director of the Department of Heritage Tourism and Historic Preservation for the City of St. Augustine. Ste. Claire, who holds a B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology/Archaeology and Public Resource Management from the University of South Florida, directed the 10-year restoration/development of Old St. Augustine Village Museum, and served on the Board of trustees for the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. A former member of several state and national boards, including the Secretary of State's Historic Preservation Advisory Council (1992-1999) and the Heritage Tourism Council (1999-2003), Ste. Claire was formerly a City Commissioner for Lake Helen, Florida. He is the author of several books, including Cracker: The Cracker Culture in Florida History, Borders of Paradise: A History of Florida through New World Maps, and True Natives: Florida's First People. He was also a featured columnist for the Orlando Sentinel, and his "Florida Crackerbarrel" episodes continue to run on PBS channels throughout the state.
