Museum Professional Seeking Opportunity in the San Francisco/Northern CA area

[DawnDist0925]

Headline: Museum Professional Seeking Opportunity in the San Francisco/Northern CA area
Name: Dawn Distasio
Email Address: constant_reader0925@yahoo.com
Current Location: San Francisco, CA

Preferred Job Category: Administration

Personal Statement:
Veteran administrative professional with experience in the museum field seeking an entry-level position where I can utilize the skills I have gained in my academic and professional careers.

Education:
Tufts University, Medford, MA
Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program, due 2009
Coursework included: Collections Management, Exhibition Planning for the Art Museum

Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA
Bachelor of Arts, Ancient Studies, 2004
Magna Cum Laude

North Shore Community College, Beverly, MA
Certificate in Web Design, 2006

Professional Experience:
MUSEUM EXPERIENCE

California Historical Society, San Francisco, CA
Intern, January 2009 – present

Work closely with the Director of Education and Pubic Programs and other staff on various projects related to exhibitions and public programming.
• Assist in the de-installation of the exhibition California Presidential (September 13, 2008–January 24, 2009).
• Assist in the coordination and installation of the exhibition Hobos to Street People: Artists' Responses to Homelessness from the New Deal to the Present (February 17–August 15, 2009).
• Collaborate with staff to research, develop and execute public programming events created for the Hobos to Street People exhibition.
• Work with the Director of Education and Public Programs with the administration of the California’s Living New Deal Project, including database maintenance, developing newsletters and other methods of information distribution, and event planning.


California Historical Society, San Francisco, CA
Gallery Attendant, March 2009 – present

Work closely with the Visitor Services Manager and Head Gallery Attendant to provide superior customer service to all visitors of the California Historical Society.
• Provide visitors with information about the Society’s history, programs and exhibitions.
• Ensure that all safety measures are adhered to inside the museum premises.
• Track visitor attendance using paper and computerized tally programs.


Tufts University Museum, Boston, MA
“Exhibition Planning for the Art Museum” Student
January 2006 – May 2006

Participated in the class research, preparation and installation of the exhibition Jackie Ferrara: Imaginary Spaces / Realized Places (May 3–May 20, 2007).
• Designed exhibit layout and placement using Google Sketch-Up.
• Chose design elements used in the exhibit and accompanying marketing materials: wall color, label designs and colors, support pieces, multi-media supplements and invitations.
• Assisted in the construction of exhibit: prepared walls and label mounts, applied vinyl wall lettering and exhibit labels.
• Created online evaluation that resulted in significant feedback from the Tufts’ community about the exhibition.


Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Intern/Ancient Nubian, Egyptian and Near Eastern Art
Summers 2002, 2003

Assisted staff in re-housing and cataloging warehoused art objects.
• Catalogued, documented and re-housed fragile museum artifacts.
• Conducted research via Internet, museum archives, journals, and publications; accurately dated and identified artifacts for provenance.
• Assisted in the management and maintenance of Museum’s online object database.


Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, South Hadley, MA
Curatorial Assistant, September 2002 – May 2003

Assisted in Museum’s daily operations working closely with Curator and museum staff.
• Worked closely with the Curator with the coordination and construction of the following exhibits: A Visual Feast: Recent Acquisitions and Promised Gifts (April 10–July 20, 2003), African Forms (January 30–March 14, 2003).
• Researched newly acquired works of various mediums.
• Created and maintained document, conservation, and donor files.
• Assisted with the research of future exhibitions.

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, Boston, MA
Outreach Coordinator and Administrative Assistant for Veterans Education
April 2004 – October 2008

Outreach Coordinator
Developed and maintained outreach initiatives and partnerships to educate both the public and private sector on available education benefit programs for veterans.
• Organized and executed biannual state-wide training conferences for veteran service providers and representatives from Massachusetts higher education institutions.
• Created and updated a wide variety of printed outreach material containing education benefit information for veterans.
• Compiled and created content for www.mass.edu/veterans, a web-based resource, including policy guides for institutions and education benefit information.
• Coordinated with United States Department of Veterans Affairs and other government agencies to resolve benefit issues.
• Provided direct support to veterans and their families via telephone, email and in-person consultations.

Administrative Assistant
Worked closely with the Director and Program Specialist for Veterans Education on variety of issues, ranging from veterans’ educational opportunities and benefits to the daily organization, maintenance and streamlining of administrative operations.
• Created a streamlined computerized filing system, which resulted in a more efficient method of tracking the flow of information to and from the office.
• Researched, produced and presented quarterly reports in collaboration with the Director.
• Independently managed all email, telephone, and mail inquiries from public and private sector.
• Coordinated the creation, delivery and tracking of application packets and mass mailings.


ADD Inc, Boston, MA
Public Relations/Marketing and Communications Assistant
July 2000 - August 2001

Assisted staff of both the Public Relations and Marketing & Communications departments with daily administrative operations and special projects as needed.
• Coordinated and managed event scheduling for the Director of Marketing and other staff members.
• Handled inquiries from potential and current clients regarding upcoming projects.
• Collaborated with Director of Public Relations in coordinating photo shoots with high-level clients.
• Managed the routing of time-sensitive prints to both clients and staff members.
• Assisted in managing the departments’ expansive multi-media library.
• Tracked all public relations materials via database and hard copy filing systems.

Applicable Skills:
COMPUTER SKILLS: MS Word Suite, MS Access, Filemaker Pro, The Museum System Database, MIMSY Database, SAGE Database, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Lotus Notes, Lotus 1-2-3, QuickBooks

MUSEUM SKILLS: Object Cataloguing and Handling, Exhibition Development/Layout/Construction, Public Programming Development and Execution, Event Planning and Execution

ADMINISTRATIVE SKILLS: Customer/Client Service, Public Outreach, Research Methods, Database Management, Oral/Written Communication, Time Management, Organization, Team Building

Other:
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

Western Museums Association (WMA)
California Association of Museums (CAM)
American Association of Museums (AAM)