Museum Studies Faculty

Program Head & Graduate Advisor; Assistant Professor, Museum Studies

Suse Anderson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Museum Studies at The George Washington University.
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Associate Professor and Head of Museum Studies Online Certificate

Professor Coughlin has an interest in the conservation challenges of contemporary museum collections, particularly with respect to plastic. Before coming to GW full time, she worked for five years in the Objects Conservation Laboratory of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History where she conserved objects as diverse as FDR’s leg braces and Star War’s C-3PO and R2-D2. Read More  

Part-time Faculty, Professorial Lecturer of Preventive Conservation Concepts and Techniques, Museum Studies Program

Jakki is an art conservator based in the NYC area. She was an Object Conservator at the Brooklyn Museum for 14 years, where she worked with fine and decorative art, historic, ethnographic and archaeological collections.
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Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Joanna M. Gohmann is an art historian and provenance specialist with more than 14 years of museum experience. She believes that researching and sharing object and collection histories is central to maintaining transparent, equitable and relevant museums. Read More  

Retired Assistant Director for Collections and Archives, National Museum of American History, Museum Studies Program

Bob Horton studied history at Brown, Ohio State and Yale, then started his archival career at the State Archives of Indiana.
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Assistant Professor of Museum Studies, Museum Studies Program

Schillica Howard is an Assistant Professor of Museum Studies, bringing a fresh perspective and passion for collections management to the field. Before joining the faculty at GW, Schillica worked primarily with African American collections, museums, and cultural institutions as a curator, collections manager, and registrar focusing on preserving marginalized narratives. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

With over 15 years of experience, Rebecca has worked with a variety of collections in storage and on exhibition. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Andrea Kim Neighbors (she/her) currently serves as the Director of Social Impact at Blue Star Families. Previously, she was Head of Education at the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), where she collaborated with K12 educators and Asian American and Pacific Islander content specialists to develop APAC’s National Education Program Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Channah Norman is the Chief Counsel for the National Museum of the U.S. Army and its 46 subsidiary museums. Prior to her current role, she was an appellate attorney with the Department of Justice. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Awyn Rileybird (they/them) is a textile conservator and researcher focused on advancing heritage care through scientific analysis and collaborative outreach. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Crystal Sanchez is a media archivist at the Smithsonian Institution on the Digital Asset Management team (DAMS), working with digital collections from across the Smithsonian’s diverse Museums, Archives, Libraries, Research Centers, and the Zoo. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Jacquelyn Sawyer is a committed arts and non-profit professional who has spent nearly two decades expanding arts and education opportunities for underrepresented groups and underserved communities. Jacquelyn began her career in the Baltimore City Public Schools system, where she taught middle and high school Social Studies. Read More  

Deputy Director, Corcoran; Associate Professor & Graduate Advisor, Museum Studies; Faculty Advisor Museum Studies Program

Before joining the Museum Studies faculty in 2009, Professor Schiavo worked in museums in the DC area, including the City Museum, Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington, and the National Building Museum, where she curated Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s.
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Professional Lecturer in Museum Studies, Museum Studies Program

Cathy Sigmond is a human-centered researcher with a deep love for experience design. As Head of Strategy at Kera Collective, Cathy leads research studies for museums and designers to help them understand and empathize with their audiences to make human-centered decisions. Read More  

Adjunct Professorial Lecturer of Museum Fundraising, Museum Studies Program

For more than 35 years, Kathy Dwyer Southern has provided leadership in major museums, cultural and philanthropic organizations, associations and government in the Washington, Virginia and Maryland region.

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Assistant Professor & Graduate Advisor, Museum Studies

Max A. van Balgooy is a national leader in historical interpretation and community engagement, with extensive experience in developing solutions in collaboration with diverse audiences, including volunteers, staff, trustees, residents, scholars, design professionals, business leaders, and elected officials.
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Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Dave Walker serves as the Audiovisual Archivist at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. He specializes in conserving, preserving, and digitally reformatting analog audio media, particularly open reel tapes. Read More  

Professorial Lecturer in Museum Studies

Hilary-Morgan Watt is the inaugural Social Media Creative Strategist for the Smithsonian Institution, managing influencer & community partnerships as well as video strategy. Previously Ms. Watt was the Director of Digital Engagement at the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building, as well as Manager of Digital Engagement at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History. Read More  

Director, The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum; Associate Professor, Museum Studies

A museum director for over two decades, John Wetenhall served for nine years as Executive Director of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, leading a $150 million capital and endowment transformation.
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