Company History

HistoryIT was founded in 2010 to bridge the gap between technology and humanities scholarship.  Founder Kristen Gwinn-Becker recognized the disconnect that often exists between the way that scholars articulate what they need in a technology solution and the way that technologists interpret that information and develop what they believe is needed.  HistoryIT began with the goal of combining scholarly understanding with technological expertise in order to best serve the interests of organizations reliant on the management of historical data.  The company initially started with static website development and local database development services.  HistoryIT’s offerings have since grown to include search-optimized database management systems, server-hosted technology solutions, and technology consulting services.  To learn more about HistoryIT’s products and services, click here.

With a solid foundation in both humanities scholarship and technology, the consultants at HistoryIT are able to accurately assess a client’s needs and build a digital solution that is custom-tailored to the client’s situation and optimized for ease-of-use.

Company Founder and Senior Staff

Kristen Gwinn-Becker, Founder and CEO: Dr. Gwinn-Becker holds a Ph.D. in U.S. History from George Washington University. Prior to founding HistoryIT, she acquired extensive experience as a database architect, web developer, and strategic technology consultant. She is also a published author, accomplished scholar, and experienced public speaker.

Sarah Marcus, Vice President: Dr. Marcus received her Ph.D. in U.S. History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her experience includes serving as Project Director of the award-winning online Encyclopedia of Chicago at the Chicago History museum, leading the digital project from its initial conceptual stages through implementation and launch on time and under budget.

Christopher C. Alhambra, Director of Archive Technology: Christopher brings to HistoryIT more than fifteen years of experience in database and website design, along with extensive work with XML technologies in archival and research settings. Christopher holds an M.S. in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and an M.S. in Sociology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Company Mission

HistoryIT believes that we can all harness technology to organize our collections and better shape our educational goals.  With a foundation in humanities scholarship and technology, HistoryIT aims to help organizations and companies successfully bring their historical projects and collections online.