Board of Directors

Melissa Hield is PHIT’s executive director. A founding member of PHIT, she also serves on the board. In 2019 she retired as an executive at a Texas state agency where she specialized in strategic, business, and project planning. Hield has a M.A. in American Civilization from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a writer, researcher, and interviewer on PHIT projects.

Jim Cullers retired after working for more than forty years as a videographer. His clients included PHIT and other non-profits, the City of Austin, and the University of Texas at Austin Longhorn Band.

Richard Croxdale is a professor of economics at Austin Community College. He has been director of research for People’s History in Texas since 1979. He is the principal researcher, scriptwriter, and editor on every project.

Alice Embree is a writer and activist. She helped launch Austin’s underground newspaper, The Rag. She is an editor of Celebrating The Rag: Austin’s Iconic Underground Newspaper, published in 2016, and of Exploring Space City!: Houston’s Historic Underground Newspaper, published in 2021. She is a researcher and co-producer on PHIT projects, including The Rag – Austin Underground Press 1966-1977, Space City, The Stand-ins, and Defending Dissidents – Austin Law Commune.