About Me

I live in Alameda with the harbor seals, the bike lanes, kexc, and Top Gun dreams. You’ll find me connecting with communities, swimming laps, or with my dog, Thelma.

Selected Work

Big Bend Conservation Alliance

Executive Director (2020-2024). Work included diversifying the board of directors, listening to community feedback, co-creating conservation efforts with rural communities of color, and transforming programmatic efforts to re-imagine conservation through connection and healing within the shared environment of the greater Big Bend region of Texas.

Projects included the protection of Cementerio del Barrio de los Lipanes, a burial ground in Presidio, Texas, sacred to the Lipan Apache Tribe. In partnership with the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, we rematriated this land—the first LandBack in Texas—and obtained the first Tribally-authored historical marker in the state. The project was funded by Mellon Foundation as part of the Monuments Project. MASS Design Group was commissioned to create a site design in collaboration with local Indigenous leaders.

Part of the team that secured a $12.7 million grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights to support “Everything's Connected in Presidio,” a climate resilience and pollution reduction initiative that uses green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and technology to make a greener and more resilient border town. The project—in partnership with local climate activist, Ramon Rodriguez of Project Homeleaf—was one of five awards going to Texas communities, one of four awarded to the southern border, and the single largest going to a nonprofit in the history of the region.

Barnes Foundation​

Deputy Director of Audience Engagement and Chief Experience Officer (2016—2018). Working with visitor experience, digital and technology, audience evaluation, community engagement, public programming, and editorial in a newly created role to deepen a visitor’s engagement before, during, and after a visit. Projects included the creation of the Barnes Focus, a mobile web application—funded by Knight Foundation—which used AI and computer vision to recognize works of art in the collection to deliver content in the gallery; a project to bring VR headsets featuring the Barnes Collection to neighborhood libraries; a participatory exhibition helping engage artists with the Barnes collection; and partnerships to grow audiences throughout Philadelphia, including one with Philly’s Indego bike share.

Brooklyn Museum

Vice Director of Digital Engagement & Technology (1999—2016). Leading digital initiatives with public participation at their center to advance the museum’s community-minded mission. Projects included ASK Brooklyn Museum—a mobile application funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies as part of the Bloomberg Connects program—giving visitors a chance to ask questions during thier visit with experts answering in real time. Other projects included participatory exhibitions—GO Brooklyn Art, Split Second: Indian Paintings, Click! A Crowd-Curated Exhibition—involving tens of thousands of artists and members of the public collaborating to create exhibitions.

Highlighted 
Speaking

Innovating Intentionally | June 29, 2017 | Philadelphia | Opening Keynote. Barra Foundation. [video]

​AAM 2017 | May 8, 2017 | St. Louis | Session: Better Flow for a Better Experience

MCN 2016 | November 4, 2016 | New Orleans | Session: The View from the Top: An Executive Roundtable on Technology, Digital Transformation, Organizational Change and the Future of Museums

​MCG Museums+Tech 2016 | October 19, 2016 | London | Closing Keynote: How to Change the Tires on a Moving Truck 

CanUX | November 7-8, 2015 | Ottawa | Keynote: Visitor Experience as a Catalyst for Institutional Change

​MuseumNext | September 25-26, 2015 | Indianapolis | Keynote: Exploring ASK Brooklyn Museum [video]

Some Press

“Push for historical marker at Lipan Apache Cemetery challenges who tells region’s history.” Big Bend Sentinel. September 22, 2021

“Presidio County approves plan for handing over historic cemetery to Lipan Apache Tribe.” Marfa Public Radio. October 13, 2021

"An Indigenous tribe in Texas is getting its sacred burial ground back.” CNN. November 5, 2021.

"Artificial Intelligence, Like a Robot, Enhances Museum Experiences." New York Times. October 25, 2018.

"Art Team is Barnes Foundation's Newest Twist on Visitor Engagement." Philadelphia Inquirer. March 1, 2018.

"Barnes Foundation teams with Mural Arts' re-entry program." Philadelphia Inquirer. February 27, 2018. 

"The Famously Photo-Wary Barnes Foundation Makes Its Art More Accessible Online." Hyperallergic. November 9, 2017.

"Barnes Foundation teams with Indego to put great works of art on Philly Bikes." Philadelphia Inquirer. August 23, 2017.

"Follow the Data." Bloomberg Philanthropies Podcast. June 3, 2016.

"Barnes Foundation Gets a New CEO—That's Chief Experience Officer" CBS Philly. May 20, 2016.

"Shelley Bernstein Moves to the Barnes Foundation." Art F City. May 10, 2016.

"Who's in Charge at the Brooklyn Museum? It Could Be You." New York Times. April 29, 2016.

"The Brooklyn Museum's App Acts Like AI, but There Are Humans Behind It." The Verge. April 22, 2016.

“The Brave New Museum Sputters into Life.” Wall Street Journal, September 7, 2015

“Culture Techies Look to Strike a Delicate Balance.” Crain’s New York Business, September 18, 2014

“Museums See Different Virtues in Virtual Worlds.” New York Times, August 7, 2014

“Brooklyn Museum Tests a Democratic Model.” Wall Street Journal, February 5, 2013

"Using New Tools, Mapping Old Brooklyn." New York Times, July 7, 2011

“The Spirit of Sharing.” New York Times, March 17, 2011

​“Brooklyn Museum Experiments with First Impressions.” New York Times, February 11, 2011

​“40 Under 40.” Crain's New York Business, March 2010

​“Latest Art Tech-Nique: Museum Lets Phones Guide You.” New York Post, September 2, 2009

​“Rodin-ternet! Brooklyn Museum's Digital Docent Peddles Art to Peoria.” New York Observer, January 27, 2009