Colleen Shogan
the US constitution is written on dark brown paper in elaborate script; the inset photo features a white woman with brown hair and wearing a black top; she's looking to her right and her lips are pursed; on a TV monitor in the background — out of focus — you can see a senator holding up a piece of paper, presumably asking a question or making a point during Shogan's confirmation hearing
U.S. Constitution: Mark Schiefelbein/AP — Colleen Shogan (inset): Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Former Archivist of the U.S. Colleen Shogan on preserving historic documents, facing public pressure, and being fired by President Trump

Colleen Shogan was the 11th Archivist of the United States — the head of the National Archives and Records Administration. The agency is responsible for safeguarding America's founding documents, other important government records, and running many of the presidential libraries across the country.

Shogan was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate. But while the job is traditionally seen as non-partisan and previous archivists have spanned administrations, President Donald Trump fired Shogan soon after taking office. We'll talk about that and more.

More articles →