Ann Buermann Wass

Vice President for Symposia, 2025-2027

The role of the Vice President for Symposia is to coordinate and supervise activities related to the national symposium, including overseeing the National Symposium Committee and each year’s Local Arrangements Committee.

A longtime member of the Costume Society of America, Ann Buermann Wass joined in 1986 while pursuing a Ph.D. in historic costume and textiles at the University of Maryland. Her dissertation on 19th-century dye transitions was guided by Dr. Clarita Anderson, with whom she also co-authored an article for Dress. After earning her degree in 1992, she worked in retail, costuming, and academia before finding her niche as a historian at Riversdale, a Federal-era house museum in Maryland. There, she organized programs and events, deepened her expertise in early 19th-century dress, and authored a book on the period. Her living history work has included War of 1812 interpretation, sewing reproduction garments, and presenting on historic fashion. Her interest in early 19^th century dress and social history led her to the life and work of Jane Austen, and she is now a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America.