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Jamie Doggett is Humanities Montana’s newest board member, but she already knows the ropes. She served on the Montana Committee for the Humanities board from 1989–2001 as an appointee by both Governors Stan Stephens and Marc Racicot. For four of those years she took a leadership role as chair of the board. In 1996 she went national when she was elected to the board of directors for the Federation of State Humanities Councils where she volunteered her time for another eight years, including four years as chair. After that, she was appointed by President Bush to the National Council for the Humanities where she served from 2006–2010.
“The humanities changed my life. The ability to finally step back and see that each and every one of us has our beliefs, positions, desires, needs, and understandings of ideas and perceptions—I like to think all of these things formed me into a better human being,” Jamie says.
Jamie’s path to public service started in college. She attended Montana State University and earned degrees in both English and History before embarking on a career as a secondary English teacher. Jamie credits her professors, specifically Elton B. Oviatt and former Humanities Montana board member Jeff Safford, for igniting her passion for the humanities.
This passion informed how she taught in high school classrooms as well. “When I was a teacher of English, I saw a need for class discussion on many issues. To carry on an interesting discussion and stopping to listen to what students had to say and encouraging civil discourse was vital.”
Jamie is a perpetual champion of the humanities, asserting that “the humanities can make us better leaders who listen, discuss, and try to reach consensus or some agreement.” Humanities Montana is lucky to have her—again.
