Caroline Klibanoff is a leader & strategist for movements that strengthen democracy, empower youth and local communities, and connect people with their role in shaping America’s future.
Areas of expertise:
Gen Z + Civic engagement + U.S. history + 250th anniversary + Museums and historic sites + Digital storytelling
Recent Highlights
This year I spoke on two panels at SXSW: 1619, 1776, 1866, 2020: The History Wars and how Gen Z is Changing Changemaking.
The Civic Season is a new tradition from Juneteenth to July 4 to move our national practices closer to our founding promises. Read more in Smithsonian magazine.
My work at Made By Us is geared towards America’s 250th birthday in 2026, building a strong network of trusted history institutions able to serve as civic hubs for Gen Z. Learn more.
About
Caroline Klibanoff works at the intersection of civic engagement and cultural institutions. She leads Made By Us at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, an unprecedented nationwide collaboration to ignite and inform Millennial and Gen Z civic participation as we approach the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. Through efforts like My Wish For U.S., the Civic Season and digital, social and local initiatives, Made By Us brings historical expertise to transform the conversation happening in bars, backyards and the ballot. Previously, she project managed exhibitions for MIT Museum’s new campus, and has worked in digital strategy for Big Tent Nation and the Bridge Alliance, developing the Civvys Awards, and rolling out the inaugural National Week of Conversation. She began her career in strategic communications at the Pew Research Center and the Frameworks Institute, and has worked for cultural organizations including Longfellow House – George Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site; Northern Light Productions; the Cambridge Historical Society; and Northeastern University’s Digital Scholarship Group. She holds a B.A. in American Studies and Film and Media Studies from Georgetown University, and an M.A. in Public History and Digital Humanities from Northeastern University.
Caroline Klibanoff 