Cori Wegener, founding President of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, has rejoined the Board of Directors. As President she helped to lead the successful lobbying effort for the 2009 U.S. Senate ratification of the 1954 Hague Conventional for the Protection of Culture Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. Currently she is the Director of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and Cultural Heritage Preservation Officer at the Smithsonian Institution.
Brian Daniels is Director of Research and Programs for the Penn Cultural Heritage Center at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. His research centers around conflict, cultural loss, and human rights violations; community-based approaches to cultural heritage preservation; and indigenous rights and recognition. He leads the Conflict Culture Research Network which is focused on the study of intentional cultural destruction.
Latest News & Alerts
March 28, 2026
A recent Hyperallergic article on the threats to Iranian cultural heritage includes comments by both Cori Wegener, founder of the U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield (USCBS) and current USCBS Board member, and Brian Daniels, Director [...]
March 23, 2026
NPR recently discussed the damage to Iranian cultural heritage and included comments from USCBS President, Patty Gerstenblith. You can hear the audio piece or read the article on NPR's website.
March 16, 2026
Registration for a hybrid conference titled, "Law, Heritage, & Identity: International Legal Frameworks for Cultural Preservation" at Rutgers Law School is now open. The one-day event will take place on Friday, March 27th and admission is [...]
