Gayle Jessup White became Monticello’s first community engagement officer in 2016. She is not only a direct Jefferson descendant, but is related to two well-documented families enslaved at Monticello - the Hemingses and the Hubbards.

A former award- winning TV reporter, Jessup White started her career at the New York Times. She has written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello and about her family’s ties to Jefferson, his extended family and the enslaved community.