Joan received her B.A. in Anthropology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Master’s Degree in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester England’s distance learning program. Her expertise in collections care and museum operations is a result of more than thirty years of professional experience (eleven years at Peabody Essex Museum, and twenty at the MIT Museum). Joan has also served as a grant reviewer for the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and is currently on the Board of Directors at the Danvers Historical Society.

As the executive director Joan will bring the weight of her vast experience in order to care for and rehabilitate the museum’s largest collection object: the historic granite building in which the museum resides. Joan views this as an opportunity to build collaborative relationships, and implement fresh ideas and initiatives within this tight knit community, while continuing to demonstrate history’s relevance in our contemporary world.

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