Trained as an academic historian, Travis Jeffres gravitated to the world of public history after having worked in the museums sphere, where he brought history to life for multiple publics through programming, exhibition planning, research, teaching, community engagement, and project coordination.  

Travis enjoys serving as a bridge between the production of historical knowledge and its public consumption. His experiences in the classroom and in museums taught him that the historian is latent in everyone—it needs only to be awakened through creative engagement techniques and by linking historical practice to contemporary issues and problems.  

History is both generative and destructive, as telling one history often involves erasing others. Therefore, Travis believes equally in producing—writing and telling—history and facilitating it, which often means stepping aside and allowing lesser-known stories to come to light. The more stories we hear, the more complete our collective human history will be and the more equitable our world will become.  

When not at City Hall, he can be found at home chasing around his two young children or in the mountains chasing cutthroats and elk. 

CONTACT TRAVIS
tjeffres@cityofboise.org; 208-608-7041