Events

Thursday, August 19, 2021 | 2:00 PM

As a kick-off event in advance of the opening of our exhibition, Post 9/11: The Evolution of American Law Enforcement, this program will pull back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes conversations that go into crafting an exhibit about the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and life since. Discussing a contemporary, traumatic, and critical moment in our nation’s story brings certain challenges when compared to more historical subjects. By pulling together partners from across the museum field, we will broaden the conversation to consider shared experiences with this topic and why museum professionals choose what to address in an exhibit.

Moderator:

Thomas Canavan, Executive Director, National Law Enforcement Museum

Introduction:

Marcia Ferranto, CEO, National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum

Keynote:

Laura Lott, President and CEO, American Alliance of Museums

Participants:

• David H. Schanzer, Director of the Triangle Center of Terrorism and Homeland Security, Duke University
• Michael Burns, Chief of Experience Strategies (CXS), Quatrefoil Associates
• Josh Feinberg, Museum Content Developer, JAF Consulting
• Amy Weinstein, Senior Curator of Oral History & Vice President of Collections, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
• Cedric Yeh, Project Director—NYC Latino 9-11 Collecting Initiative, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History

Moderator: Thomas Canavan

Thomas is an accomplished non-profit professional with leadership expertise in developing exhibitions, educational and outreach programs that focus on building thriving creative communities. His experience includes creating collaborative program environments; development and oversight of innovative educational programming; establish and fostering strategic partnerships and alliances with local government, private and nonprofit organizations. He holds a Master of Science, Arts Administration from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art from the University of Maryland.

Introduction: Marcia Ferranto

Marcia Ferranto is known in the non-profit world for her reputation as a motivational and transformative leader. Much of her career has been focused on improving the non-profit business model. As an accomplished senior executive with international, national, and local experience, Marcia is dedicated to leading non-profits through launch, transition, and the enhancement of missions leading to greater fundability. By helping a wide variety of non-profit organizations, she has become instrumental in refocusing the non-profit business model to fit into today’s ever-changing business environment. She is committed to delivering successful results through courageous leadership and by improving leadership and management practices throughout the non-profit sector by leveraging organizational strategy, structure, and culture to achieve goals.

She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Widener University. She is also a graduate of the Museum Leadership Institute and the Getty Leadership Institute. She recently served on the Board of Directors of DV LEAP and is a past president of the board of directors of the Sandy Spring Museum.

Keynote: Laura L. Lott

Laura L. Lott is president and CEO of the American Alliance of Museums, representing the entire scope of the museum community. After being named the first woman to lead the organization in 2015, Laura led the development and launch of AAM’s strategic plan which includes strategic focus on diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion; financial sustainability; and museums’ role in P-12 education. Laura raised the Alliance’s first seven-figure gift and is spearheading an unprecedented initiative aimed at increasing the diversity of nonprofit boards.

Prior to being CEO, as AAM’s chief operating officer, Laura led the 2012 re-launch of the Alliance, including rebranding the organization and redesigning its membership and excellence programs to be more inclusive, leading to 70 percent membership growth. A passionate advocate for strong and engaged boards, Laura frequently speaks about nonprofit governance, organizational leadership, and strategy.

After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., Laura worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers with a focus on nonprofit clients. Laura is a Virginia-licensed CPA, a private pilot, and a proud mom.

David H. Schanzer

David H. Schanzer is a Professor of the Practice at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy and Director of the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. In these capacities, he teaches courses, conducts research, and writes about national security issues, with a focus on domestic terrorism, counterterrorism, Middle East policy, and the intersection of technology and security.

Prior to his academic appointment, Schanzer held positions in both the legislative and executive branches of the federal government, including serving as the Democratic Staff Director for the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security from 2003-2005, as Special Counsel, Office of General Counsel, Department of Defense (1998-2001), and Trial Attorney, United States Department of Justice (1992-94).

Schanzer is a graduate of Harvard College, where he received a B.A. cum laude in Government in 1985 and the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review from 1987-1989.

Michael W. Burns

Michael W. Burns is a partner, design director and Chief of Experience Strategies at the experience design firm Quatrefoil Associates. He is also the founder and executive director of The Omnimuseum Project, a non-profit 501(c)(3) dedicated to activating the museum experience in the world at large. Michael has been designing award winning museum exhibitions, public environments and events for over 25 years. Formerly, Michael was director of exhibition design at the Field Museum, and creative director at the Shedd Aquarium. His museum career emerged from a background in Time Arts, and public sound installation. Michael is a regular speaker and presenter at conferences and workshops for museums and other cultural institutions.

Joshua A. Feinberg

Josh Feinberg is an independent consultant specializing in content development and writing for museum exhibitions, media presentations, and educational materials.

After earning his master’s degree in Museum Education from Bank Street College, Josh served as an educator at The Jewish Museum in New York and as a researcher, writer, and exhibition developer at Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design. For the past two decades, Josh has worked for a wide range of clients within the museum field, writing dozens of audio and multimedia tours, developing exhibition content and scripts, writing exhibit text, and creating educational materials and curriculum guides..

Amy Weinstein

Amy Weinstein is Senior Curator of Oral History and VP of Collections at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. She records or supervises the recording, cataloguing, transcription and accessibility of oral histories with 9/11 responders, survivors, family members, journalists, caregivers and others affected by the terrorist attacks. Ms. Weinstein holds diverse curatorial responsibilities related to the acquisition and interpretation of artifacts for the Museum and has participated in the curation of temporary exhibitions including K-9 Courage and Hope at Ground Zero. Ms. Weinstein was an active participant in the Museum’s planning process, and wrote the first draft of the script for its inaugural exhibitions.

Prior to joining the 9/11 Museum in 2006, Ms. Weinstein held a variety of curatorial posts at the New-York Historical Society and Museum of the City of New York.
She holds an MA in the History of Decorative Arts from the Cooper Hewitt / New School. Museum work is a second career for Ms. Weinstein, who earned a JD at Brooklyn Law School. Her BA was granted by the University of Pennsylvania.

Cedric Yeh

Role in Museum:

Cedric Yeh is the curator for the National September 11 collections and is the co-lead for the digital commemoration of the National Museum of American History’s 20th anniversary of September 11. He is also directing the New York City Latino September 11 and Covid 19 Collecting Initiatives.

Research Specialties:

• The National September 11 Collection
  Latino 9-11 stories and outreach
• Chinese restaurants and food culture from the mid-nineteenth century to the present
• Asian Pacific American culture and history

Current Projects:

• Co-Lead, National Museum of American History’s 20th anniversary September 11, digital event
• Project Director, New York City Latino September 11 Collecting Initiative
• Project Director, New York City Latino Covid 19 Collecting Initiative
• Project Director, Sweet & Sour Initiative