Marland E. Buckner

President & CEO

Leads the Shockoe Institute’s mission to connect history, public policy, and opportunity through scholarship, civic dialogue, and public engagement.

Marland E. Buckner is President and CEO of the Shockoe Institute, where he leads the organization’s work to uncover the history of Shockoe as one of the nation’s oldest communities and an epicenter of the American domestic slave trade. His career spans nearly three decades across public policy, technology, philanthropy, consulting, and civic leadership. Buckner’s work is grounded in the belief that history is essential to understanding the roots of opportunity, inequality, and public policy in America.

Before joining the Shockoe Institute, Buckner worked as a public policy analyst in Washington, D.C., served on Capitol Hill, led federal government affairs for Microsoft, and later founded a public policy strategy firm focused on expanding opportunity for communities in the U.S. and abroad.

Speaking / interview topics

Shockoe and the enduring impact • of American slavery
History as a guide for civic life and public policy
Opportunity, inequality, and the historic roots of economic mobility
Leadership, philanthropy, and community transformation
How historical interpretation shapes public decision-making
Building institutions that connect memory, scholarship, and action