Elista Istre, Ph.D.

Dr. Elista Istre, an avid traveler with a passion for cultures across the globe, founded Belle Heritage™ to offer consulting expertise and create cultural experiences that inspire individuals and organizations to celebrate the beauty of heritage.

A descendant of Cajuns, French Creoles, and Spanish Isleños, Istre is a native and lifelong resident of Lafayette, Louisiana. She earned her B.A. in History and M.A. in Public History from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and studied abroad at the Universidad de Sevilla in Spain. Graduating with top honors, she worked for several years in the museum world before teaching English as a second language in the U.S. and Africa. An accomplished historian dedicated to advancing the field of cultural heritage at home and abroad, Istre earned her Ph.D. in Heritage Studies at Arkansas State University.

During her career thus far, Istre has established, directed, and supported several historic sites and museums in Louisiana, including Vermilionville, a Cajun & Creole Heritage and Folklife Park in Lafayette; Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville; and the Louisiana Military Museum in Abbeville. Istre also established and directed Historic Dyess Colony: Boyhood Home of Johnny Cash, in Dyess, Arkansas, and worked with the U.S. Army’s Center for Military History at various Army museums around the country.

Through engaging lectures, informative publications, and hands-on history programs, Istre has shared the beauty of heritage with academic and public audiences for over twenty years. She has published and presented both nationally and internationally on many different topics and has worked as an advisor for a variety of film productions including the nationally-televised live concert The Johnny Cash Music Festival: 2011, the documentary film Joanne Cash, I Do Believe, and a number of travel-related programs. Istre served as historical consultant and assistant director for the documentary film First Cousins: Cajun and Creole Music in South Louisiana and authored the book Creoles of South Louisiana: Three Centuries Strong. Her latest publication is a children’s book entitled Josette and Friends Cook a Gumbo.

Istre has developed and implemented numerous cultural and historical interpretive programs at home and throughout the U.S. She served as a board member for the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) and directed NAI’s Cultural and Historical Interpretation section for many years. One of the first in the U.S. to obtain a Master Certification in living history, Istre chaired the Arkansas Living History Association’s certification committee for several years and continues to serve on the certification committee.

Inspired by the Scripture “Truly, I have a beautiful heritage” (Psalm 16:6 ISV), Istre named her company Belle Heritage™ as a fitting tribute to not only her French heritage and the first language of her grandparents (belle is French for “beautiful”), but also in honor of the universal beauty of heritage worldwide.