Walt Disney Imagineering Lake Buena Vista,

Senior Curator / Exhibition Designer 1998 – 2020

• Key member of Exhibits Team driving expansion and funding development of Walt Disney World’s Exhibits Program.

Curator, Registrar & Collections Manager

• Drove research and development, artifact procurement, domestic and international lender relationships, and logistics for exhibit installations.
• Initiated upgrades in casework, environment, lighting, security, and visuals, resulting in improved borrowing capacity from leading global museums, including The Smithsonian.
• Handled facility reports, shipping, and documentation of artifacts, including collection database management.
• Monitored ongoing care and inspection of gallery facilities and artifacts / objects on loan and in storage.
• Collaborated with Legal and Risk Management to fulfill loan contracts and insurance requirements.
• Led educational tours of exhibitions for employees, executives, and visiting museum professionals.

Exhibitions Development

• Conducted primary topic research, and developed exhibition themes and content to create immersive, compelling, diverse, and relevant stories, delivering projects on time and within budget.
• Represented Walt Disney Imagineering on domestic and international ambassadorial trips to foster relationships with prospective museums and institutions, providing key subject matter expertise.
• Established key global relationships, including Moroccan government and museums across Norway and Sweden, securing rarely seen artifacts.

Project Management

• Supported all aspects of exhibition projects, including concept development, strategic planning, design and fabrication, budget management, plan implementation, exhibit installations, and gallery facility management.
• Directed exhibit installations, coordinating detailed schedules, fast-tracked timelines, and courier travel arrangements.
• Ensured cross-functional compliance with environmental, security, and maintenance requirements.

Visual Design & User Experience

• Provided expertise to determine overall visual looks for exhibits, show set design, and case layout.
• Partnered with Exhibit Writers and Graphic Designers to create clear hierarchical flow of information for guests.

Environmental & Materials Requirements

• Oversaw case design and fabrication, including security systems, and served as key point of contact for museum casework vendors.

Executive Reviews

• Reviewed concept development and strategic milestones with Walt Disney Executives.

RECENT WALT DISNEY WORLD EXHIBITIONS:

• Race Against the Sun: Ancient Technique to Modern Competition | Epcot, Morocco Pavilion | 2019
• Creating Tradition: Innovation and Change in American Indian Art | Epcot, American Adventure Pavilion | 2018
• Gods of the Vikings | Epcot, Norway Pavilion | 2017
• American Presidents: Public Lives, Personal Memories | Magic Kingdom, Hall of Presidents | 2017
• First Ladies in Focus | Magic Kingdom, Hall of Presidents | 2017
• Disney Conservation Fund | Animal Kingdom, Conservation Station | 2015

PRIOR CAREER EXPERIENCE:

• Curatorial Consultant | Civic Center Museum | Philadelphia, PA

Supported documentation, conservation, and archival packaging of internationally diverse 20K-piece collection.

• Field Technician | Temple University Archaeology Department | Philadelphia, PA

Crewmember of 3-acre excavation of 4,000-year-old prehistoric Native American workshop and temporary campsite.

SKILLS

• MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook | Adobe Acrobat | KE Emu Electronic Museum Database
• Museum Expertise Object Handling | Mounts | Conservation Requirements

VOLUNTEER ROLES

• Florida Native Plant Society | Member & Event Coordinator for major fundraising event Backyard Biodiversity Day 2021
• Penn Museum, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology & Archaeology

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

• American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
• International Council of Museums (ICOM)
• Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC)

TRAININGS & CONFERENCES

• Museum conference attendance in Milan, Toronto, Seattle & Chicago
• Northern States Conservation Center | Museum Artifacts: How they were made and how they deteriorate
• Northern States Conservation Center | Exhibit Fundamentals
• Benchmark | Mountmaking Seminar

EDUCATION

• Bachelor of Arts | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA
• Graduate Coursework in Anthropology at Temple University