Officers
DOUGLAS SIMPSON
Cambridge Seven Associates
President
Douglas plays a senior role leading exhibit teams at Cambridge Seven Associates, an award-winning architecture and exhibit design firm. Working closely with curators and content experts, he has created a diverse array of mission-driven, participatory visitor experiences for natural history, history, cultural, and children’s museums. Most recently, he designed exhibits for the Gyeonggi Children’s Museum, the first public children’s museum in South Korea. Douglas holds two self-designed degrees: the first in Environmental Science, Political Science, and Sociology, and the second in Exhibition Design. He has studied at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and taught Exhibition Design at Massachusetts College of Art. With a long standing expertise in sustainability, he is a LEED Accredited Professional. Douglas is committed to promoting excellence in the field and has served on the NAME Board as the New England Regional Representative and Vice President. “Recognizing the enormous progress NAME has achieved in recent years, I look forward to continuing that momentum with initiatives promoting innovative and responsive exhibits.”
WAYNE LABAR
ALCHEMY studio
Vice President
Wayne is the principal of ALCHEMY studio. He has twenty-four years of experience in museum, and science center planning, project management, creative team leadership, experience and exhibition design and development, implementation, exhibition technology and networking. His current interests are leading organizations to becoming more impactful to their communities, developing innovative and new exhibition and public programming, experimenting and advancing the experience and museum field with new paradigms that are shaping our society's means of communicating, and working together. He helped launch the Liberty Science Center’s LSC Experience Services business unit, which helps design and develop science centers and museums around the world. He holds a BA in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, attended The Getty Leadership Institute and served on its Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Industrial Designers Society of America.
Valence Davillier III
Great Lakes Science Center
Secretary
Valence joined Great Lakes Science Center in 1994 and is currently Director of Exhibits. As part of the science center’s executive team, he manages a yearly operational budget, develops design criteria for interactive and hands-on exhibits and manages the development and installation of new exhibit programs. He is also instrumental in directing the transfer of the NASA Glenn Visitor Center exhibits to Great Lakes Science Center and developing a new Visitor Center to house them. Valence also serves as the Principle Investigator for the Science Center’s BioMedTech gallery’s Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), an educational award program supported by the National Center for Research Resources, a division of the National Institutes of Health. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Cincinnati. “As someone deeply committed to the promise and integrity of informal education in general and science literacy in particular, I entered the museum field 25 years ago with a belief that the experiences found in museums encourage us to become open to creatively seeing and understanding the world. As a Board member of NAME I hope to help nourish the vitality of our institutions and promote literacy of our cultural heritage and future possibilities.”
JENNIFER BINE
SITES
Treasurer
Jennifer has been a project director for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) since 1993. Her work has focused on the conceptualization development of traveling exhibitions in collaboration with Smithsonian museums and other agencies. Jennifer holds a BA in History from Iowa State University and a Masters of Historical Administration and Museum Studies from the University of Kansas. “Whether through Exhibitionist, on-line forums, conference sessions or workshops, NAME provides extraordinary opportunities for sharing expertise in the design and development of museum exhibitions. Whether you’re just entering the field or working on your 25th show, you will find NAME a thoughtful and thought-provoking source of information.”
TAMARA BIGGS
Chicago History Museum
Member at Large
Tamara’s first job as a mount maker at the Field Museum in 1981 introduced her to the madcap world of exhibitions. Twelve years later she migrated to Denver for four years as a project manager at the natural history museum there. She began her current job as Director of Exhibitions at the Chicago History Museum in 2000, where she has produced over 100 exhibitions, three of them Excellence in Exhibition award winners. Tamara has served on the NAME board in various capacities since 2004, as well as on the board of the Chicago Cultural Alliance, a consortium of 28 ethnic museums and cultural centers.
PENNY JENNINGS
West Office Exhibit Design
Member at Large
Penny has been working in the museum world since the 1980s, first as a student of technology and material culture, then as an educator at the Exploratorium, lately as an exhibit developer for exhibit projects far and wide, mostly in science, history and children's museums. She is the recent past President of Cultural Connections, a networking organization for San Francisco Bay Area museum professionals, and has served on the Board of NAME since 2006. “I think we have a whole lot to learn from sharing our successes and failures, and hope that by doing so we can create a more thoughtful and creative professional community.”
JENNY-SAYRE RAMBERG
National Aquarium
Member at Large
Jenny-Sayre is the Director of Planning and Design at the National Aquarium. She is honored to serve on the NAME Board and looks forward to continuing to serve as a member-at-large. Jenny-Sayre is particularly interested in continuing to foster connections and creative exchange between the museum and aquarium/zoo community and to help develop more re-energizing opportunities for NAME members like the 2009 Creativity and Collaboration retreat that was held in Monterey. “I’d like to help NAME create more and new opportunities for all of us to connect with each other to share work challenges, ideas and experience. I have been developing science, history, children’s and conservation exhibitions for over twenty years and I never met a topic I didn’t like.”
NINA SIMON
Museum 2.0
Member at Large
Nina Simon is an exhibit designer who has been described as a “museum visionary” by Smithsonian Magazine for her audience-centered approach to design. She is currently the Executive Director of The Museum of Art & History in Santa Cruz, CA. Nina teaches in the University of Washington Museology graduate program and is the author of The Participatory Museum (2010) and the popular Museum 2.0 blog. Previously, Nina worked as an independent consultant to over one hundred museums and cultural centers around the world, focusing on interactive community engagement. Nina also served as curator at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA, and was the Experience Development Specialist at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.
RITA MUKHERJEE HOFSTADT
The Franklin Institute
Program Co-Chair
Rita is Assistant Director of Traveling Exhibits and Special Projects at The Franklin Institute where she oversees Institute-created traveling exhibitions program and develops collaborative projects with museums and other strategic partners. Rita was the lead developer of the museum’s Changing Earth and Identity exhibitions. She has over 14 years of experience in developing programs and exhibits for museums and science centers. Prior to TFI, Hoffstadt developed exhibits and program for Thinc Design, The New York Hall of Science, The American Museum of Natural History, The Academy of Natural Sciences, and Columbus Center. She holds a MS in Education with an emphasis Museum Leadership from Bank Street College and an MS in Biological Sciences from Pennsylvania State University. “I currently represent NAME as the rotating Coordinator of AAM’s Excellence in Exhibition Competition. As NAME program co chair I would like to continue to support NAME’s involvement in professional development opportunities designed to continue the discussion of creating innovative, thought provoking, user focused exhibitions.”
JUDY KOKE
Art Gallery of Ontario
Program Co-Chair
Judy is currently the Deputy Director of Education at the Art Gallery of Ontario where, among other things, she leads the Interpretive Planning and Visitor Research team. Having worked in many roles both inside museums and as a consultant, Judy has had opportunities to observe many different models for the development of visitor experiences, and the methods by which success is measured. Judy shares her experience and knowledge through teaching Interpretation and Meaning-making in the Museum Studies Graduate Program at the University of Toronto, and is beginning her 3rd year as NAME program co-chair.
SONAL BHATT
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Membership Co-Chair
As Director of Exhibitions and Interpretation, Sonal has been working at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden since 2009, helping to usher this 100 year old institution through major renovation and change. Before her time at the Garden, she designed exhibits at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the organization that manages the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, and New York Aquarium. Throughout her career, Sonal has focused on finding innovative ways to help visitors develop a better understanding and love for the natural world.
KARINA WHITE
Independent
Membership Co-Chair
Karina led exhibition teams on two major projects at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino, CA, winning both the 2007 and 2009 grand prizes in the AAM’s annual Excellence in Exhibition Competition. She is currently a freelance developer and designer in Los Angeles. Her professional preoccupation is to create beautiful exhibitions that offer unprecedented opportunities for visitor engagement. “My interest in working with NAME is to promote the role of excellent exhibitions as a core museum practice, and to help to build a strong network of exhibition professionals and resources.”
ERIC SIEGEL
New York Hall of Science
Immediate Past President
Eric is Director and Chief Content Officer at the New York Hall of Science, where he leads the Hall’s education, program, exhibition development, science, and technology functions. He led the planning and institutional fundraising for the $92 million expansion completed in 2004, as well as directing the development of 4 major exhibitions. He directed two recently completed exhibitions ShadowPlay and Rocket Park Mini Golf, and is leading the development of two major exhibitions that will open in 2014. Eric has been in senior roles in art and science museums for over 25 years and has published extensively in the museum field. As a consultant he has worked with They Might Be Giants, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Endowment for the Arts and many other organizations. He is a Board Member of SolarOne, an urban environmental organization in NYC, and past Chairman of the Museums Council of New York City. Eric is a lifelong musician who has composed music for network and cable television, and currently performs actively on guitar and piano. He graduated from the CORO Leadership New York program, and holds an MBA in arts administration from SUNY Binghamton. He teaches actively as a member of the graduate faculty of the New York University Museums Studies and Interactive Telecommunications programs.
LIZA REICH RAWSON
Liberty Science Center
Exhibitionist Managing Editor
Liza is an experience development and project management consultant with over 25 years in the museum field. Currently she serves as adjunct faculty for the museum graduate program at Johns Hopkins University and Senior Exhibition Developer with Liberty Science Center. Previously she led exhibition projects for 12 years for Brooklyn Children’s Museum. As an advisor and consultant, her clients have included Fairfield Museum and History Center, Chicago History Museum, Science Museum of Minnesota, Museum of the Chinese in the Americas, Brooklyn Historical Society and others. Recent publications include: “It’s About Them: Using Developmental Frameworks to Create Exhibitions for Children (and Their Grown-Ups)” in Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions (2009). Her work has been recognized for excellence by AAM, ACM, NEH, IMLS and AASLH. Liza holds an MA in History Museum Studies from Cooperstown Graduate Program, and a BA in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. “As the newly appointed Managing Editor for NAME’s Exhibitionist, I’m excited to participate in the shaping of one of the field’s pre-eminent tools for disseminating and documenting current practices, trends, and viewpoints in exhibition development and design. The research and reflection being done by all types and sizes of organizations across the country, and around the world, is inspiring and valuable work that helps all of us do our jobs better.”
GRETCHEN JENNINGS
Independent
Exhibitionist Editor
Gretchen Jennings is a museum administrator, exhibition project manager, and interpretive planner who has worked in or with a wide variety of museums including the National Museum of African Art, the Ontario Science Centre, and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History Two of her exhibition projects, Psychology: Understanding Ourselves, Understanding Each Other (1993) and Invention at Play(2003), were recognized with Excellence in Exhibition Competition awards from AAM. Since 2007 she has served as a museum consultant and also as editor of the Exhibitionist.
JASON JAY STEVENS
Flutter & Wow Museum Projects
NAME Website Developer
Jason is principal of Flutter & Wow Museum Projects, a museum and exhibition design, project management, and consultancy company based in Detroit, Michigan. Working at the intersection of art and science, specializing in custom technology and one-of-a-kind designs, the studio's portfolio covers a diverse range of noteworthy projects, including permanent and traveling exhibitions, interactive science exhibits, historic renovations and interpretations, special events, and art installations for clients nationwide. Jason was previously the Exhibit Designer at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. His twenty-year career in the museum field goes hand-in-hand with a lifelong passion for museums and the art of exhibition. He is an award-winning writer and multimedia artist, and a tireless polymath.
