The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music preserves the legacy of Bruce Springsteen and celebrates the history of American music and its diversity of artists and genres. Our mission is two-fold. The Springsteen Archives serves as the official repository for materials related to Springsteen and the E Street Band, including photographs, historic memorabilia, oral histories, and more. The Center for American Music explores American music more broadly. We accomplish this by producing exhibitions, concerts, and educational programming that explores and honors the cultural impact of American music past, present and future.
Bob Santelli is the Founding Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ. He is a noted blues and rock historian, curator, music journalist, and a GRAMMY Award winner. He has authored more than a dozen books on American music and is the winner of the 2022 Deems Taylor/ Virgil Thomson Award for Woody Guthrie: Songs and Art * Words and Wisdom, which he co-authored with Nora Guthrie. Santelli was one of the original curators of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, becoming the museum’s first Director of Education and Vice President of Public Programs in 1995. In 2000, he became the CEO of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the first-ever interactive music museum. Santelli became the Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum in 2006, where he curated more than 65 exhibitions and produced centennial celebrations for Frank Sinatra, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonard Bernstein, Woody Guthrie, and others over his sixteen years at the museum. He was one of the executive producers of In Performance at the White House and worked with First Lady Michelle Obama to conduct the White House’s music education programs. Santelli serves as the Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts at Oregon State University and teaches courses on popular culture. The collection serves the research and informational needs of music fans, scholars, authors, and others with a serious interest in the life and career of Bruce Springsteen.
Bob Santelli is the Founding Executive Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives and Center for American Music at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ.
He is a noted blues and rock historian, curator, music journalist, and a GRAMMY Award winner. He has authored more than a dozen books on American music and is the winner of the 2022 Deems Taylor/ Virgil Thomson Award for Woody Guthrie: Song and Art * Words and Wisdom, which he co-authored with Nora Guthrie. Santelli was one of the original curators of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, becoming the museum’s first Director of Education and Vice President of Public Programs in 1995. In 2000, he became the CEO of the Experience Music Project in Seattle, the first-ever interactive music museum. Santelli became the Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum in 2006, where he curated more than 65 exhibitions and produced centennial celebrations for Frank Sinatra, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, Leonard Bernstein, Woody Guthrie, and others over his sixteen years at the museum. He was one of the executive producers of In Performance at the White House and worked with First Lady Michelle Obama to conduct the White House’s music education programs. Santelli serves as the Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts at Oregon State University and teaches courses on popular culture. The collection serves the research and informational needs of music fans, scholars, authors, and others with a serious interest in the life and career of Bruce Springsteen.
Eileen Chapman is the Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University and was responsible for bringing the collection to the University. In addition to her position at the BSACAM, she is also a councilwoman in Asbury Park, a city she has resided in and raised her family for 42 years. Prior to her directorship, she was the Associate Director of the Center for the Arts also at Monmouth University. Chapman was a founding member of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, Riverfest Jazz & Blues Festival, Clearwater Festival’s Entertainment Director, the Asbury Park Jazz Festival, director of the award-winning New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar, consultant and entertainment coordinator of the Guinness Oyster Festival, a consultant to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and is the liaison to Monmouth University’s Grammy Museum affiliation. Chapman opened and operated the state’s first CD music store, Almost Live CD Center, in Belmar from 1986 to 2000. She was the General Manager of several well-known Jersey Shore entertainment venues which include the iconic Stone Pony, Fast Lane and McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright. She serves on the boards of the Asbury Park Historical Society, Asbury Park Arts Council, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Asbury Angels, and is currently a member of MOCO arts marketing and Mid-Atlantic Region Archives and Music Library Association. She also spearheaded a trip with a group of Asbury Park High School students to Michelle Obama’s music program at the White House.
Eileen Chapman is the Director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University and was responsible for bringing the collection to the University.
In addition to her position at the BSACAM, she is also a councilwoman in Asbury Park, a city she has resided in and raised her family for 42 years. Prior to her directorship, she was the Associate Director of the Center for the Arts also at Monmouth University. Chapman was a founding member of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation, Riverfest Jazz & Blues Festival, Clearwater Festival’s Entertainment Director, the Asbury Park Jazz Festival, director of the award-winning New Jersey Seafood Festival in Belmar, consultant and entertainment coordinator of the Guinness Oyster Festival, a consultant to the Rock &Roll Hall of Fame & Museum and is the liaison to Monmouth University’s Grammy Museum affiliation. Chapman opened and operated the state’s first CD music store, Almost Live CD Center, in Belmar from 1986 to 2000. She was the General Manager of several well-known Jersey Shore entertainment venues which include the iconic Stone Pony, Fast Lane and McLoone’s Rum Runner in Sea Bright. She serves on the boards of the Asbury Park Historical Society, Asbury Park Arts Council, Asbury Park Music Foundation, Asbury Angels, and is currently a member of MOCO arts marketing and Mid-Atlantic Region Archives and Music Library Association. She also spearheaded a trip with a group of Asbury Park High School students to Michelle Obama’s music program at the White House.
Melissa Ziobro began her career as a historian, archivist, and curator for the US Army in 2004 prior to returning to her alma mater, Monmouth University, to teach full-time. She has taught over a dozen different courses, including Intro to Public History; Oral History; Museums and Archives Management Basics; and Historic Site Preservation, Interpretation, and Management. In August of 2023, she became curator of the University’s Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, after having worked with the Center for many years in her faculty role (to include curating the Center’s first traveling exhibit, Springsteen: His Hometown, with the Monmouth County Historical Association in 2019). Her most recent publications include Fort Monmouth: The US Army’s House of Magic (2024) and The Battlin’ Bastards of Bravo: Bravo Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam and Beyond (2025).
Melissa Ziobro began her career as a historian, archivist, and curator for the US Army in 2004 prior to returning to her alma mater, Monmouth University, to teach full-time.
She has taught over a dozen different courses, including Intro to Public History; Oral History; Museums and Archives Management Basics; and Historic Site Preservation, Interpretation, and Management. In August of 2023, she became curator of the University’s Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music, after having worked with the Center for many years in her faculty role (to include curating the Center’s first traveling exhibit, Springsteen: His Hometown, with the Monmouth County Historical Association in 2019). Her most recent publications include Fort Monmouth: The US Army’s House of Magic (2024) and The Battlin’ Bastards of Bravo: Bravo Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam and Beyond (2025).
Patrick F. Leahy, Chair
President, Monmouth University
Jon Landau, Vice-Chair
Jon Landau Management, Inc.
Barry Rosenstein, Treasurer
JANA Partners LLC
Douglas Brinkley
Professor of American History, Rice University
Anthony DeCurtis
Distinguished Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania
Grey J. Dimenna
President Emeritus, Monmouth University
Don Friedman
Grubman, Shire, Meiselas & Sacks, PC
Elliot Groffman
Carroll, Guido, Groffman, Cohen, Bar & Karalian, LLP
Leslie N. Hitchner
Vice Chair, Board of Trustees, Monmouth University
Marilyn Laverty
Shore Fire Media
Lisa McKean
Trustee, Monmouth University
Henry D. Mercer III, Assistant Treasurer
Trustee Emeritus, Monmouth University
Nwaka Onwusa
Music Historian
Michael A. Plodwick
Trustee Emeritus, Monmouth University
Jeana M. Piscatelli
Board of Trustees, Monmouth University
Brian Samelson
Entrepreneur and Early-Stage Investor
Ann Unterberg
Former Trustee, Monmouth University
Sean Wilentz
Professor of American History, Princeton University
Charlene Diana, Secretary to the Board
General Counsel, Monmouth University
Jim Abrams
Vice Chairman of the Board- Medline Industries, Inc.
Anthony Ambrosio
CBS, Senior Executive VP/Corporate Officer (Retired)
Dale Connone
President, in2une Music
Marc Cimino
COO, Universal Music Publishing Group
Martin Geller
Chairman, Geller & Company, Julien’s Auctions
David Goodman
Board Advisor & Former CEO, Julien’s Auctions
Betsy Hodges
Founder & Principal, Betsy Hodges, LLC (Leadership & Equity Consulting), Former Mayor of Minneapolis
Rich Hope
Marketing Director, Jersey Mike’s
Basil Iwanyk
Founder, Thunder Road Films
Greg Linn
Founder, Greg Linn Projects
Bob McLynn
Co-Founder, Crush Music
Robert J. Mongeluzzi
President, Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky
Sean Moran
Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Trading
Daniel (Danny) Popkin
Founder, Modern Recycled Spaces
Rich Russo
Musicologist/Marketeer/Excessive Record Collector/ Host and Curator of Anything Anything on the FM Dial and The Jersey Guy Does Jersey on SiriusXM
Anthony Sylvester
Founding Partner, Sherman Atlas Sylvester Stamelman LLP Managing Member, Gia Maione Prima Foundation
John Teza
President and CEO, Hand and Stone Franchise Corp.
Syd Whalley
Former Administrator, BSACAM
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