Kathleen Maher, Executive Director, The Barnum Museum
Advisor
Kathy’s 36 years of museum experience at many National Registered historic sites included writing and curation of award-winning exhibitions and programs exploring 19th-century social historical themes.
Her TEDx Talk covers her long-term efforts to save the Barnum Museum from storm damages that resulted in a major disaster recovery project. Today she coordinates the completion of rehabilitation work while leading the re-imagining and development of the historic Barnum Museum by integrating history, arts, storytelling, gaming, science, and technology into a new 21st century museum.
As speaker and noted authority on Phineas Taylor Barnum she has had many on air appearances as guest historian for a wide range of television programs. She has served on the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Council, the State Library and Museum of Connecticut History and Heritage, Connecticut Civil War Commemoration Commission, the Arts, Culture, Tourism Transition Committee for the CT Governor, and awarded the 2019 Tourism Leader of the Year by the State of Connecticut.
She holds a Master of Arts from New York University and studied at Metropolitan Museum of Art the Costume Institute.