I helped launch the National Museum of American History's Philanthropy Initiative and Great Americans Medal programs in 2015 and 2016. As Director of both series, I oversee complex, multi-year projects with external and internal stakeholders. This work includes the development and production of two signature Smithsonian events: the Philanthropy Initiative’s Power of Giving symposium and the Great Americans Medal award program and interview series with David M. Rubenstein. I also serve as a member of the Giving in America exhibition team. 

• The Power of Giving symposium brings historic perspectives to contemporary issues in philanthropy such as Social justice (2023), Educational Equity (2020), Health and Medicine (2019), Culture and the Arts (2018), and Sustainability and the Environment (2016). Our 2015 launch of the series examined the history of philanthropy more generally
• The Great Americans Medal is awarded for lifetime contributions embodying American ideas and ideals. It honors individuals who have made a lasting impact in their fields, and whose philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors set them apart. Previous recipients include Secretary Madeleine K. Albright, Thomas J. Brokaw, Anthony S. Fauci, MD, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Billie Jean King, Yo-Yo Ma, General Colin L. Powell, Cal Ripken Jr., and Paul Simon.

In 2012, I joined the museum’s Lemelson Center for Invention and Innovation to lead its Places of Invention Affiliates Project, a new model for using invention as a transformative lens for understanding local history. With Arthur P. Molella, Ph.D., founding director of the Lemelson Center, I co-edited the related book, Places of Invention (Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press, 2015). Additionally, I served as a team member of the Places of Invention exhibition which won the Smithsonian’s 2017 Excellence in Exhibitions Award and the Society for the History of Technology’s Dibner Award for Excellence in Museum Exhibits.

My career at the National Museum of American History began in 2007 when I joined its Culture and the Arts Division as Managing Editor of the William Steinway Diary Project. Leading one of the Smithsonian’s largest and longest-running volunteer projects, I oversaw the development and launch of The William Steinway Diary website so that Steinway’s fully-transcribed, 2,500-page diary became available online for the first time. Written during a pivotal time in American history, Steinway’s entries reveal rare insights from a key figure in Steinway & Sons and the cultural, political, and physical development of New York City. In 2010, I curated the related museum exhibition, A Gateway to the 19th Century: The William Steinway Diary, 1861–1896.

Positions

• Director, Philanthropy Initiative & Great Americans Medal Programs, National Museum of American History 2015 -
• Program Specialist & Editor, Lemelson Center for Invention & Innovation, National Museum of American History 2012 - 2015
• Managing Editor, William Steinway Diary Project, National Museum of American History 2007 - 2011

Research Areas

• Steinway House (New York, N.Y.)