Andrew E. Masich

Andrew Edward Masich (born February 7, 1955) is the President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center, a Smithsonian affiliate, Pittsburgh’s oldest cultural institution, and Pennsylvania’s largest history museum. The Heinz History Center includes the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Fort Pitt Museum, and Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village. Masich was previously Chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (2011-2016). A leader in the field of public history, he is known internationally for his lively history presentations; his Emmy-winning historical documentaries; and his award-winning books on American Indians, the Civil War, and sports history.

Masich oversees the operation of the 350,000-square-foot Senator John Heinz History Center, located in the 1898 Chautauqua Lake Ice Company warehouse in downtown Pittsburgh. In 1999, he forged a strategic partnership with the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small declared the Heinz History Center “the Smithsonian’s home in Pittsburgh,” and Smithsonian collections are now on exhibit at all times. Masich has forged strategic partnerships with organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Allegheny Conference for Community Development, Boy Scouts of America, VisitPittsburgh, and the American Association for State and Local History. Under Masich’s leadership, the History Center merged with other regional museums and historical organizations, including the Meadowcroft Museum, The Westinghouse Museum, and the Pittsburgh Police Historical Association. The Fort Pitt Museum is operated according to a long-term agreement with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Through its affiliates Program, the History Center partners with and offers assistance to 125 additional museums and historical societies in Western Pennsylvania.

Masich is an adjunct history faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University teaching American History and Public History courses. His lively lectures on subjects ranging from American Indians to American innovation have entertained and educated audiences from coast to coast. A recognized authority on the preservation and creative interpretation of history, he has been a faculty member of the prestigious Seminar for Historical Administration, an American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Council member, an American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Accreditation Commissioner (2004-2015), and serves on the National Council for Public History’s (NCPH) Editorial Board for The Public Historian. His popular presentations include “Unknown Stories of the Civil War,” “History of Innovation,” “Young George Washington,” and, for professional museum audiences, “Lighten Up!” (humor therapy for directors and other humor impaired museum professionals) and “History Museum Vampires: How to Suck the Life Out of Your Museum.”

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