Lindsey Lauren Visser | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Poet laureate of Buffalo | |
| Assumed office March 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 13, 1991 Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Harvard University (Ed.M) The University of Oxford (MSt) Canisius College (BA) |
Lindsey Lauren Visser (November 13, 1991) is an American historian, researcher, and poet who has served as the poet laureate of the City of Buffalo since 2024. She also serves as the Executive Director of the Niagara Aerospace Museum.[1]
Early life and education
Visser was born in Buffalo, New York on November 13, 1991 to parents of Dutch and Italian–American origin.[2] She attended Mount Saint Mary Academy in Kenmore, NY and Canisius College, where she majored in history, political science, and European studies, and graduated magna cum laude in 2014.[3]
In the fall of 2014, she enlisted in a year of service with the AmeriCorps ABLE program and taught middle school social studies in the Buffalo Public Schools.[4] In 2015, she began her graduate studies at University of Oxford (Exeter College, Oxford) on Modern British and European history, and received her Master of Studies (MSt) in 2016.[5]
Career
Upon returning to Buffalo, Visser began her career in the museum field at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site as the Programs & Digital Content Coordinator before becoming the Development & Communication Manager in 2019.[6] Additionally she worked at The Buffalo History Museum and Forest Lawn Cemetary.[7]
In 2021, Visser joined the Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo as Deputy Director and was named Executive Director in March 2023.[8][9] The Niagara Aerospace Museum named her the Executive Director in March 2024.[10]
Visser has served on the boards of the Buffalo Niagara Heritage Village,[11] the Niagara Frontier Council for the Social Studies,,[12] and the Erie County Bicentennial Committee.[13] In 2022, she was named to the steering committee for the Erie Canal Bicentennial Commemoration.
Works
Visser has appeared as guest of the American History Hit Podcast hosted by Don Wildman. During the Erie County Bicentennial, Visser worked on the Hometown Heritage video series which highlighted some of the historic locations around Erie County.[14][15]
Visser also served as a writer and editor for the first two seasons of the Buffalo History Museum's podcast.
Episodes credited
| Date | Episode Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/02/2020 | F. Scott Fitzgerald's Buffalo | Writer | |
| 04/13/2021 | Tragic September Part I: Assassination | Writer | Readable Version |
| 04/27/2021 | Tragic September Part II: Inauguration | Writer | Readable Version |
| 05/10/2021 | Tragic September Part III: Anarchist | Writer | Readable Version |
| 06/08/2021 | Buffalo's White House Wedding | Co-writer | Written with Anthony Greco (host) |
| 06/22/21 | The 1908 New York to Paris Race, Part I | Co-writer | Written with Anthony Greco (host) |
| 07/06/2021 | The 1908 New York to Paris Race, Part II | Writer | |
| 07/21/2021 | The Rise and Fall of the Buffalo Braves | Editor | Episode written by Greg Tranter |
| 10/28/2021 | Annie Edson Taylor’s Barrel v. Niagara Falls | Writer | Readable Version |
| 01/27/2022 | The Unsolved Murder of Ed Burdick | Co-writer | Written with Anthony Greco (host) |
Visser was named the City of Buffalo Historian on March 11, 2024 by Byron Brown.[16][a] Visser's appointment came in preparation for the Erie Canal Bicentennial in 2025, the American Semiquincentennial (NYS250) in 2026, and Freedom 2027 marking NYS' abolition of slavery.
In June 2024, Visser launched the "History BUFFalo initiative" alongside Byron Brown.[18]