I am, at heart, a Curator. I have spent my entire career studying, using, and caring for historical objects and helping museum visitors make meaning from them. I have a Master’s in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, and worked for the National Archives, the South Dakota State Historical Society, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the North Star Museum of Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting. I have also done independent consulting.
At all of these institutions, the care and interpretation of the objects under my purview has driven me. I am committed to public history—helping visitors better understand what the objects before them in a museum setting mean. In working with history museums, my goal always is to help you better know, and better use, the objects in your care and under your responsibility. This encompasses everything from basic inventory services to exhibition development, and anything else with which you need assistance.
My turn as a small museum executive director taught me that being a good curator does not naturally mean that one can be a good director. The hard lessons of that work inform my mentoring services. I am an excellent diagnostician and can point out things that you might need to think about, which are easy to overlook. Although objects have my heart, the job of running a small museum does interest me. I believe I have what it takes to help others succeed in the job.
My self-deprecating humor takes me a long way towards working well with others. I am practical, even-tempered, and respectful of all who have chosen to work in museum, in either a paid or volunteer capacity. And, I figure there are never enough museums!
