Linna Place is a Research Associate Professor of History at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and directs the external competitive fellowship application process at UMKC. She earned her Master’s degree in American Folklife at Cooperstown Graduate Programs, a program that prepares students to work as professionals in historical agencies and institutions.  She earned her Ph.D. in American Studies at the University of Kansas in 1989. 

Her teaching and research interests include material culture, American social and cultural history, and museum studies.  She has published in the area of social gerontology as well as curatorial essays in the field of American folk art.  In addition to teaching, she continues to work as an educational and programming consultant with museums.