Expert in Developing Museum Programs, Research, and Growing Community Participation

[kukuwes]

Headline: Expert in Developing Museum Programs, Research, and Growing Community Participation
Name: Jennifer Pictou
Email Address: kukuwes@yahoo.com
Current Location: Groton, CT USA

Preferred Job Category: Education

Personal Statement:
I seek an opportunity to utilize my considerable skills in managing people, budgets, and objects in an administrative position within an Education and/or Curatorial department that focuses on History, Natural History, or Native American cultures.

Education:
M. A. – AMERICAN AND NEW ENGLAND STUDIES, University of Southern Maine, Portland ME, 2010

B.A. – ANTHROPOLOGY & GEOGRAPHY, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME, 2000

B.F.A. –ART HISTORY & STUDIO ARTS, University of Maine at Presque Isle, Presque Isle, ME, 1992

Professional Experience:
MYSTIC, CT 2008-2009
SUPERVISOR OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS
MYSTIC SEAPORT MUSEUM: THE MUSEUM OF AMERICA AND THE SEA

Key member of the Education Department management staff servicing the needs of children in grades K-12, college students, and adult professional learners. As a liaison for teachers and school administration I was responsible for the supervision of Museum Teachers, budgetary items, staff training and evaluation, performing statistical analysis, generating reports, coordinating information between museum departments, and developing new revenue-producing program offerings.

Strategy & Leadership Successes:
• Initiated new group booking procedures, increasing school group tours by 15%
• Developed efficient program delivery procedures which led to increased group capacity by 140%
• Successfully supervised a full-range of museum education programs for 28,000 school children annually
• Planned and implemented a new fee-based winter program that increased group attendance
• Coordinated projects for and supervised volunteers and interns

Key Engagements:
• Participated as a Board Member of 5 Rivers Consortium, a group of professionals from local museums and history organizations and who raise funds for professional development initiatives and training
• Administered new grant funds for school field trips that served an additional 1,600 children
• Lead organizer for Dog Days at Mystic Seaport, a 3 day event showcasing the unique cultural impact of canines and maritime history

Ledyard, Connecticut 2001 – 2005 & 2007 – 2008
MUSEUM EDUCATOR II
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center

As an Educator II within the Public Programs Department, I was responsible for the generation of written program documents, staff training, program planning, and the delivery of historical information regarding Native Americans of New England as well as direct educational services to schools groups, college students, education professionals, and families.

Strategy & Leadership Successes:
• Trained new and veteran education/interpretation staff on historical content of exhibits, group management, and troubleshooting in a fast-paced public work environment
• Coordinated multiple daily groups of up to 1,000 people
• Consulted with education professionals regarding culturally relevant, accurate, and sensitive curriculum development
• Collaborated with other museum departments on a daily basis to generate positive customer experiences and improve the flow of information

Key Engagements:
• Participated as a member of the IMLS grant management team for a Northeast Native Museum Alliance, a tribal museum partnership project
• Conceived, designed, developed, and delivered new informal learning initiatives to be used in exhibits, classrooms, and out-of-doors environments
• Developed and implemented a report schedule and database for all programs to track quality management and make recommendations for improvements
• Delivered outstanding customer service, resulting in professional accolades from the Executive Director


Presque Isle, Maine 2005-2006
TRIBAL ADMINISTRATOR
Aroostook Band of Micmacs

As Senior Executive of Tribal Operations I was responsible for managing day-to-day functions of the tribal business, strategic planning, developing and overseeing multiple budgets and departments, troubleshooting tribal community concerns, attending board meetings and preparing reports.

Strategy & Leadership Successes:
• Successfully managed 20 diverse departments with individual budgets and/or separate federal contracts for total annual revenue of $5 million
• Managed staff who were responsible for delivering federally funded direct services to community members, including crucial needs such as housing, health care, and cultural programming
• Coordinated with federal, state, and tribal agency representatives on a daily basis including HUD, IHS, BIA, DOI, BLM, INS, EPA, State of Maine DHS
• Researched and utilized federal and international public policy resulting in increased benefit of the tribe, including NAGPRA, Section 106 NHPA, PL-638, IHS, NARFA, and Jay Treaty
• Responsible for financial analysis of profit/loss estimates for new business ventures and responding to board and community concerns

Key Engagements:
• Successfully leveraged professional contacts to gain continued tribal representation on the Maine State Tribal Social Studies Committee which was organized to implement LD-291, a state level policy to include Wabanaki history as part of required school curriculum
• Consulted with the FCC in regards to placement of communications towers on land holding possible culturally relevant and valued resources
• Responsible for initiating contact with local museums and conceiving the plan to have Native artifacts be turned over to the tribal archives in the event of municipal museum’s closure

Applicable Skills:
Curriculum Development
Research
Manage People
PC and Mac platforms
Microsoft Office, PowerPoint, Excel, Word
Data and database Management
Statistical Analysis
Grant Management

Other:
Guest Curator: Ongoing research, design, and development of online exhibits for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum.
Museum Studies Internship Instructor: Co-instructed undergraduate level course in museum studies.
Graduate Teaching Assistant: Prepared class materials, graded exams, and supervised testing procedures.
Archaeology Lab Intern: Maine Historical Preservation Commission – artifact handling, analysis, & data entry.
Human Osteology Lab Experience: worked with Pre-Columbian remains for pathology analysis, & data entry.