2026 Proposal Reviewers
Brandon Truett is an interdisciplinary scholar, educator, and curator based in Brooklyn. He is currently the Mellon Head of Learning and Community Engagement at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, with an appointment in the Department of English. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Museum Education Roundtable. At the Zimmerli, he oversees the full range of educational, academic, and interpretative initiatives that engage visitors of all ages and forges meaningful partnerships that bridge campus and community audiences. Previously, he worked at the Barnes Foundation, the David Rubenstein Forum at the University of Chicago, and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University. He received a Ph.D. in English from the University of Chicago, where he also held a two-year postdoctoral fellowship. A specialist in twentieth- and twenty-first-century visual culture, literature, and popular media, Truett is completing a book on the visual culture of antifascism.
britt royer (she/they) is the Curator at the Museum of Art (SMCMoA) at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga, California. They have been working at SMCMoA since 2018, initially joining the team as the Marketing and Membership Manager. Previously an educator at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, CO, and a gallery assistant at SmithKlein in Boulder, CO, Royer enjoys the expansive and creative solutions specific to small museums.
In their current role, they support exhibition engagement and collection collaborations, including exhibition planning, curating programs, writing grants, developing and teaching courses, mentoring students, and collaborating with faculty and staff across the campus and the broader Bay Area community. She has written and organized several group exhibitions including Collective Memories: Stonecuts from Cape Dorset (2021), Fake It Till You Make It: A Quest for Authenticity (2022), and Visceral Processes (2024) as well as solo exhibitions including Hold it Lightly: Lisa Congdon (2023) and Omega Alpha: Harmonia Rosales (2024). Royer holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of California, Davis. They were raised on a farm outside of Des Moines, Iowa, and live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Angela Linn has been the collections manager of Ethnology and History since 1999, after spending three years working there as a Graduate Curatorial Assistant. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Iowa, an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a Distance Delivery Pilot Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from George Washington University. In 2023, Angela earned her Ph.D. in Museology and Northern History: Interdisciplinary Studies through UAF’s department of Arctic and Northern Studies. Her dissertation focused on the past, present, and future of Alaska’s museums.
Angela strives to facilitate access to the museum’s collections, through the online database Arctos, and through direct physical access to the collections the museum cares for on behalf of the residents of Alaska. She welcomes questions from the public and seeks out opportunities for supporting cultural heritage projects across Alaska and the circumpolar north.
Isabel Cazares is currently an Outreach and Instruction Librarian at the University of Iowa who splits her time between the UI Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives department and the Stanley Museum of Art on campus. In this collaborative position, she encourages faculty and staff to interact with both entities and finds ways to support a shared understanding of these institutions’ collections. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and East Asian Studies through the University of Arizona and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons University. She continues to be a life-long learner, and her interests include archival accessibility, developing critical thinking through object-based learning, and exploring interdisciplinary approaches to understanding the past.
Devin E. Geraci she/her) is the Associate Director of Operations at the UNM Art Museum, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received her BS in Anthropology from Florida State University and completed her MBA and MA in Museum Studies at The University of New Mexico. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Organization, Information, and Learning Sciences at UNM.
At the UNM Art Museum, Devin oversees the administrative operations of the museum – including facilities, finances, and human resources. She designed and continues to evaluate the UNMAM Museum Assistant Program to provide impactful experiences for student employees within the museum. She also teaches in UNM’s Arts Leadership & Business Program.
Ethan Aronson (he/his) is the Manager of Visitor Experience, and a temporary Collections Technician, at the University of New Mexico Art Museum. He holds a B.A. in History with a minor in Museum Studies from UNM. Ethan previously worked at The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History, Casa San Ysidro, and the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology over his 12-year career in the museum field. He was also the co-founder of Modern Albuquerque, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about Albuquerque’s mid-century architecture, history, and culture through tours, events, films, and social media. This organization also assisted the City of Albuquerque and local historians in documenting Albuquerque’s history during this period. Ethan serves on the board of Historic Albuquerque, Inc., a state non-profit promoting local history and historians. His areas of interest include visitor services, informal education, mentorship, museum operations, and the history of the urban environment.
A childhood trip to the Saint Louis Art Museum inspired Susan Baley to embark on a museum career. She has experience in arts administration, museum education, fundraising, curation, and teaching. Susan led a museum education department and taught art history and museum studies at the University of Oklahoma for 25 years before moving into museum administration in 2015. Prior to becoming the director of the Grinnell College Museum of Art in 2022, she led an American art museum in Terre Haute, Indiana and a gallery dedicated to contemporary craft in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Susan also teaches museum studies at Grinnell College.
Sara Pinkham is the Exhibition and Engagement Coordinator for the Main Library Gallery at the University of Iowa Libraries. Since 2019, she has worked with a team of staff and guest curators to produce exhibitions using UI Libraries distinctive collections materials. In addition, she plans all exhibit-specific public programs, outreach, and class visits for UI students. Sara has a background in museum programming and education, exhibit development and installation, operations, and project and nonprofit management. She holds a B.A. in History and is currently working toward an M.S. in Library and Information Science.
Keidra Daniels Navaroli is an award-winning independent curator, McKnight Doctoral Candidate, and adjunct faculty at the University of Central Florida. Her research focuses on the intersections of academic museums, digital technologies, and underrepresented communities of practice. Keidra received an M.A. in art history from Florida State University; completed internships with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sotheby’s Auction House; and is an alumna of the Museum (Getty) Leadership Institute’s NextGen Program. In addition to service on the boards of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, the Mennello Museum of American Art, and the Surface Design Association, Keidra is the manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion in digital art history for the open access journal Panorama.
Jennie Davy (she/her) is the Exhibits & Artifacts Curator at William & Mary Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center. She oversees W&M Libraries’ exhibits program, teaches library instruction sessions for courses in several academic departments, assists patrons in finding archival sources, and manages Special Collections’ 3-D object collection. She started collecting dog-related zines for Special Collections’ dog book collection in 2016, which sparked a sustained passion for building a new collection of these accessible, affordable DIY publications, often made by underrepresented creators outside of mainstream publishing. She is a member of W&M’s Asian Pacific Islander Middle Eastern American Research Project team and a regular collaborator with W&M Art & Art History’s annual Curatorial Project course-curated exhibition. She earned a BA in History and Japanese Studies at William & Mary and an MA in History Museum Studies at the Cooperstown Graduate Program. She currently serves as the Virginia state representative for AAMG.
Erin Hanas is the curator for academic and campus engagement at Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Previously, she was the associate curator of academic programs at the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, the coordinator of academic programs at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, an editorial associate at Duke University Press, and a glassblowing assistant at Chatham Glass Company. Erin received a PhD in art history from Duke University; an MA in modern art history, theory, and criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and a BA in art and German from Central College.
Mary Alice Waite (she/her) is the Visitor Services Coordinator for the University of Iowa Pentacrest Museums, where she supervises the museums’ docent staff of UI students and oversees tour operations. Mary Alice received her BA in Anthropology with a minor in Religious Studies from the University of Iowa.
Maryanna G. Ramirez, Director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at Portland State University, is passionate about sparking connections between students and art as well as developing innovative ways to engage new audiences. She has spent over twenty years working in higher education and museums, including roles in education, curation, marketing, and advancement. As the museum’s first director, she’s had the opportunity to build the foundation that will serve the museum and university for years to come.
Previously, she oversaw strategic initiatives at the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University in Miami. She has also served in arts and advancement roles at Syracuse University, DePaul University, and the University of Michigan. She was a curatorial associate at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Ramirez earned her M.A. in art history from Syracuse University and B.A. in art history from DePaul University.
Sage Sommer is the Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Henry Art Gallery, the contemporary art museum of the University of Washington. With more than 20 years of experience in academic and contemporary museums, she leads exhibitions, collections stewardship, and strategic planning in close collaboration with artists, faculty, and campus partners. Her work centers on the distinctive role of academic museums as spaces for teaching, research, experimentation, and ethical leadership. Sommer is committed to advancing care-centered practices and strengthening connections between museums and higher education. She currently serves as the AAMG State Representative for Washington, supporting peer exchange and advocacy across the region.
Isra El-beshir has twelve years of experience in the arts and cultural sector. She has devoted her career to fostering equity-driven initiatives, inspiring organizations to think boldly and dynamically while fostering growth with purpose and integrity. Currently the Director of Art Museum at Washington and Lee University, she oversees the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, Watson Galleries, McCarthy Gallery, and a collection of 15,000 fine and decorative arts. Previously, she served as the Associate Director of Museums at W&L (2020-2022); the founding Director of the Illinois Art Station, an arts program of Illinois State University; Development Consultant for the premier journal, Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora; and as the Curator of Education and Public Programming at the Arab American National Museum. She has consulted on programs and exhibitions at the Detroit Institute of the Arts, Grand Rapids Art Museum, and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. Isra previously co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility sub-committee and served on the Advisory Council of ‘Held in Trust,’ a three-year cooperative agreement between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, aimed at evaluating the state of preservation and conservation of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the United States. She holds a Master’s in Cultural Anthropology and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration. She speaks both English and Arabic.
Kimberly Musial Datchuk (she/her) builds programs and educational opportunities with creativity, collaboration, and curiosity in mind as the curator of learning & engagement at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art. Prior to that, she held a dual position as visiting assistant professor in art education at the University of Iowa and assistant curator of special projects at the Stanley. She has curated several exhibitions that center the work of women and the struggle for social justice. Her research and curatorial interests include institutional critique and the intersection of art, gender, sexuality, and technology, particularly in fin-de-siècle France. She has a doctorate in art history, with a specialty in nineteenth-century European art. She has presented her research throughout the United States, as well as France, England, and Poland.
Dalina A. Perdomo Álvarez (she/her) is Assistant Curator at the Michigan State University Broad Art Museum, and Core Faculty at MSU’s Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Previously, she worked at the Video Data Bank and The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture. She holds an MA in Film Studies from the University of Iowa and a BA in English from the University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez. She was the 2018–2020 Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Photography; the 2021 Curatorial Fellow at the Chicago Underground Film Festival; a 2024 Curationist Fellow; and a 2025 Andy Warhol Foundation Curatorial Research Fellow. She is the Michigan state representative for AAMG.
Joseph McKee (they/them) is an emerging museum professional, designer, and technology enthusiast who is committed to the intersections of museum education, digital initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaborations. They hold a BA in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of New Mexico.
They are currently Collections Assistant at the University of New Mexico Art Museum where they assist in the project management of UNMAM’s current initiative “Collections Year”, lead the re-organization of the Raymond Jonson Archive, manage UNMAM’s database transfer to TMS, and is currently developing a Time-Based Media intake procedure for UNMAM.
Brittany Merriam has served as Director of Exhibits for the University of Pennsylvania Libraries since 2020. She manages a dynamic exhibition program that showcases the Libraries’ diverse collections while advancing teaching, learning, and community engagement. Collaborating closely with staff and faculty, she develops exhibitions that translate scholarly research into accessible and engaging public experiences. With a background in art history and museum practice, Brittany brings a creative, process-driven approach to exhibition planning—balancing curatorial vision with project management, interpretation, public history, and design. Her recent work includes developing workflows for cross-departmental exhibit production and fostering partnerships that connect the Libraries’ collections to broad campus and community audiences. She holds a B.A. in Art History and an M.F.A. in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design. Her research focuses on the intersections of libraries and galleries, critical museology, and the role of exhibition design in building community.
