Mary Alexander - UMD



Mary Alexander

3381 Stephenson Place, NW

Washington, DC 20015

202-309-9564

Alexander_Schou@

Consultant to Museums and Historical Organizations

February 2015-Present

Clients include: Poe Baltimore (MD), Black Hill Regional Park (MD), Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office (National Museum of Civil War Medicine) (WDC)

Emphasis: planning retreats, interpretation

Teaching

University of Maryland, Department of Anthropology, Museum Certificate Program

Coordinator, Student Practicum (Internships) Fall, 2015; Instructor, Introduction to Museum Scholarship and Material Culture, Spring 2016, 2017; Co-Director, 2017.

George Washington University Museum Education Program, Assistant Instructor, Grant-writing for Museums, Summer, 2016 & 2017

Maryland Historical Trust

Director Museum Assistance Program

September 1999 to November 2014

Administered the State of Maryland’s financial assistance program that supported projects of the state’s 200 privately owned and operated history museums. The program funds had been as great as one million dollars. Tasks included:

• Oversaw operations of grant program from application to award

• Facilitated application review process for panel of senior museum professionals

• Provided technical assistance on museum operations, including management (strategic planning, board development, fundraising) and programming (education, collections care, marketing) issues

Consultant to Museums and Historical Organizations

1997-1999

Clients include: Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Montgomery County (MD) Historical Society, Washington County (MD) Historical Society, Winterthur Museum and Gardens (DE).

Emphasis: strategic planning, educational programming and fundraising.

George Mason University

Adjunct Professor, Museum Studies (History Department)

Fall terms, 1998, 1990, 1992

Hillwood Museum

Assistant Director

July 1991 to December 1996

Responsible for the day-to-day operations of the former residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post. The museum includes twenty-five acres and 16 buildings, the collections are primarily Russian and French decorative arts from the 18th and 19th centuries and the staff numbered 110, including part-time. Managed education, visitors’ services, and the museum shop departments. Worked with the director to solve complex administrative problems relating to personnel, budgeting, board management, collections, public relations and interpretation. Specific accomplishments include:

• Collections Management Plan

• Personnel Evaluation Form

• American Association of Museums Accreditation Self Study

• National Endowment for the Humanities Interpretive Self Study

American Association for State and Local History

Common Agenda for History Museums

Coordinator

November 1987-April 1991

Directed a national initiative to address the concerns of history museums. Planned and facilitated national task forces on issues relating to contemporary collecting, collections documentation, museum interpretation and professional training.

• Prime coordinating role for financial support for all projects, which totaled $500,000.

• Initiated and guided into publication, Ideas and Images: Developing Interpretive History Exhibits.

• Published Contemporary Collecting Guidelines.

• Published "Data Fields" for the computerization of history collections.

• Supervised Philadelphia Historical Documentation Project.

• With the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Museum Programs, created and facilitated "The Common Agenda Workshop" for history museums.

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association

Director of Education

August 1985 to October 1987

Supervised the development and implementation of a comprehensive interpretive program for visitors to Mount Vernon. Administered a departmental budget of $400,000 and supervised eight full-time and 40 part-time staff.

• Prepared a comprehensive interpretive plan

• Created and led the first school programs offered in the 20th Century

• Developed the first Winter Tour program

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

Office of Public Programs

July 1976-August 1985

Assistant to Assistant Archivist for Public Programs July 1984 to August 1985

Assisted with administrative matters, office planning, coordinating budget reports, budget development, personnel processing, and management studies.

Exhibits Information Specialist June 1984 to July 1984

Researched and developed a documentary exhibition that highlighted the Archives' fiftieth anniversary.

Education Specialist June 1976 to June 1984

Planned, developed and evaluated outreach programs for secondary school teachers, which included publishing curriculum materials and offering training courses. Served as liaison to secondary teachers.

• Created and evaluated four national curriculum supplements: World War I: The Home Front, World War II: The Home Front, The Great Depression and New Deal, The 1920s

• Editor, "The Document of the Month," Social Education

• Program Chair, National Council for the Social Studies Annual Meeting (1983)

GEORGE WASHINGTON BICENTENNIAL CENTER

Alexandria, VA

Director November 1974 to July 1976

Assistant Director June 1974 to November 1974

Museum Education Roundtable

Coordinator

April 1972 to October 1973

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Education Coordinator

Decatur and Woodrow Wilson Houses

December 1970 to September 1971

Cleveland Board of Education

Teacher, John Marshall High School

September 1967-June 1970

Education

BA, History, Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin, 1967

MA, Education, University of Connecticut, 1980

Presentations

My public presentations as panelist, speaker and workshop facilitator extend from 1971 to the present. Subjects have ranged from “School-Museum Partnerships” and “Strategic Planning for Museums” to “Natural History Museums in the Millennium.” Venues have been the Association of Living History Farms and Museums, American Association of Museums, American Association for State and Local History, Committee on Culture and Education Action (of the International Council of Museums), Eastern Illinois University; New England Museum Association; Northeast Social Studies Council, National Council for Social Studies, Organization of American Historians, Museum Education Roundtable, Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Ponce Art Museum (Puerto Rico); Small Museum Association (of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania & Virginia), Natural History Museum (London), Historical Society of Washington, DC

Honors and Professional Leadership

Recipient, Annual Award, Small Museum Association, 2013

Recipient, Fellowship, Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, 2007

Recipient, Katherine Coffey Award for Distinguished Service,

Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums 1993

Vice President, Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums 1991-1994

Secretary, Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, 1988-1991

Councilor-at-Large, American Association of Museums, 1987-1990

Board, International Council of Museums, 1984-1987

Chairman, Education Committee, American Association of Museums, 1980-1982

Board, Museum Education Roundtable, 1975-1977

Publications

Book Review, “Challenging History,” Curator, Volume 54, #2, April 2014

Book Review, “Letting Go? Using Historical Authority in a User-Generated World,” Visitor Studies Association, Fall, 2012

“Mary’s Advices on Grant Writing” PastPerfect Newsletter, May 2012

Book Review, “Connecting Kids to History with Museum Exhibitions,” Visitor Studies Association, April 2011

Book Review, “Do Museums Still Need Objects?” The Public Historian, 2010

“What are the “Six Strands” for History Museums?” Curator, vol.53, #2, April 2010

Forum, “U.S. History Museums: A Maryland Perspective,” Curator, vol. 51, #2, April 2008.

Museums in Motion: An Introduction to the History and Functions of Museums, a revision of Edward P. Alexander’s 1979 volume, Altamira Press, 2008.

Book Review, “Mastering Civic Engagement: A Challenge to Museums” Visitors Studies Today, Spring 2003

“Do Visitors Get It? A Sweatshop Exhibit and Visitors’ Comments,” The Public Historian, Summer 2000

Exhibition Review, “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: A History of Sweatshops, 1820-Present,” Technology & Culture, October 1999

With George E. Hein, Museums: Places of Learning, Education Committee, American Association of Museums, 1998

“Itch,” Making a Difference A Festschrift for Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, 1997

Exhibition review, "Southern City, National Ambition," The Public Historian, Summer 1996

Exhibition review, Museum of American Frontier History, Journal of American History, June 1994

With Thomas P. Weinland, "The Learning Imperative--Museums and Schools," Social Education, October 1985

Associate editor, A Museum Education Anthology, Museum Education Roundtable, 1984

Editor, "Looking Beyond: A Glance at the World of Museum Education," Roundtable Reports, Summer 1983

With Carolyn Blackmon, "Museum Education in the United States," Journal of Education in Museums (London), August 1983

Editor, "Visitor Behavior: Studies and Strategies," Roundtable Reports, Winter 1983

Editor, "Issues in Research: Language and Methodology," Roundtable Reports, Summer 1982

Editor, "Interprofessional Cooperation," Roundtable Reports, Summer 1980

"Reaching Teachers," Museum-School Partnerships: Plans and Programs, George Washington University, 1980

With Peter O'Connell, "Reaching the High School Audience," Museum News, November-December 1979

Editor, "Document of the Month," a quarterly column in Social Education, journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, 1978-1984

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