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Board of Trustees & Staff

Committed to ensuring all Brooklyn families can learn and play together.

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Board of Trustees

Sean O’Neal, Chair

Niles D. Stewart, Vice Chair

Stefan Duffner, Treasurer

Amanda Sue Nichols, Secretary

Daisy Auger-Dominguez

Corey Baylor

Prabha Sipi Bhandari

Milovan Blair

Bonnie Campbell

Peggi Einhorn

Michael Frazier

Adam Freed

Chris Havens

Adam Hess

Lisa Kalhans

Anne Karp

Larry Kwon

Tanya Levy-Odom

Mia Locks

Grace Lyu-Volckhausen

Cindy McLaughlin

Justin Moore

Jocelynne Rainey

William Rifkin

George Sampas

Kristen Morrissey Thiede

Angela Tribelli

Andy Weissman

Drew Dixon Williams

Malcolm J. Williams

Alycia Zimmerman

Ex-Officio Members

Bill de Blasio, Mayor

Corey Johnson, Speaker of the New York City Council

Tom Finkelpearl, Cultural Affairs Commissioner

Scott M. Stringer, Comptroller

Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President

Martin Maher, Brooklyn Commissioner, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

Board Emeriti

Peter Eikenberry

Paul Gangsei

Janno Lieber

David Offensend

Robert Rubin, in memoriam

Dr. Nan Sussman

Brooklyn Children’s Museum

Senior Management Team

Stephanie Wilchfort

President & CEO

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Stephanie Wilchfort

Stephanie Hill Wilchfort is President & CEO of Brooklyn Children's Museum, the world's first museum built especially for kids and one of the country's largest informal educators. A Brooklyn native, Stephanie has worked in arts and culture for nearly two decades, and joined BCM in February 2015.

Previously, Stephanie was Vice President of Development for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. During her tenure, individual giving at the Tenement Museum nearly doubled; the Museum held its first $1 million Gala; and more than $11 million was raised towards the Museum's capital campaign. Prior to the Tenement Museum, Stephanie was Assistant Vice President and Senior Project Director at Sesame Workshop, where she oversaw programs, business development, fundraising, and marketing activities in the United States, Israel, and Latin America. She has also held senior roles at New York Public Radio/WNYC, New York Public Media/WNET, and Lincoln Center.

Stephanie is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton, holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, and an MPA in economic policy from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. With her husband Benjamin, she is the parent of three boys ages 4, 7 and 11.

Reach Stephanie at: swilchfort@brooklynkids.org
Hana Elwell

Vice President of Exhibits & Education

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Hana Elwell

Hana Elwell is Vice President of Exhibits & Education at Brooklyn Children's Museum, overseeing the Museum's exhibits, interpretation, educational content and partnerships, and collections. Hana joined BCM in 2015 as Director of Exhibits and Interpretation, and was promoted to Vice President in January 2017. She manages a staff of 15 employees.

Prior to joining BCM, Hana was an interpretive planner and project manager for Ralph Appelbaum Associates, where she worked on exhibition projects for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Natural History Museum of Utah, and the Smithsonian Museum of African Art. Hana has also created curriculum, led professional development training, and taught museum-based programs for institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, and the Currier Museum in New Hampshire. She began her career as an Educator at Brooklyn Children's Museum.

Hana holds a B.A. in Cultural Studies from Eugene Lang College, New School for Social Research and a master's degree in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University where she focused on culturally specific museums. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, ages 1 month and 5 years old.

Reach Hana at: helwell@brooklynkids.org
Margaret Walton

Director of Government & Community Affairs

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Margaret Walton

Margaret Walton is Brooklyn Children’s Museum liaison to elected officials, government agencies, and community leaders and organizations. She has more than 20 years of experience in government and at non-profit organizations.

Prior to joining Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Margaret served as Assistant Director for Government and Community Relations at the Central Park Conservancy. In that role she was responsible for gaining approval of all Central Park capital projects from Manhattan Community Boards, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11. These projects totaled $4.6 million and were also approved by the New York City Landmarks and Public Design Commissions. Margaret also managed community input for the Frederick Douglass Circle project where local artists and community groups participated in a two-year long project which resulted in a traffic redesign and commemorative sculpture located at the northwest entrance to Central Park. Margaret also served as a Community Liaison for Upper Manhattan in the Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit in the David Dinkins administration.

Margaret Walton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Williams College.

Reach Margaret at: mwalton@brooklynkids.org
Vincent Deschamps

Director of Visitor Experience

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Vincent Deschamps

Vincent studied Art History and Archeology in Paris, France, before moving to Washington, D.C. to study Arts Management. He spent five years working in nonprofit organizations and ten years in museums. His experience encompasses all public-facing aspects of museum and staff management.

More recently, Vincent conducted a research project in volunteer management, visitor services, and public engagement in 22 cultural institutions around the world, and presented the results of his research in multiple museums in D.C. and New York.

Reach Vincent at: vdeschamps@brooklynkids.org
Semra Ercin

Director of Development

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Semra Ercin

As the Director of Development at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Semra Ercin is responsible for planning and executing the organization’s institutional, individual, corporate, and government fundraising initiatives. She leads the Development team and cultivates partnerships that support all museum programs, operations, and activities.

Semra brings over 15 years of experience in non-profit arts and cultural fundraising. Most recently, Semra was the Associate Director of Institutional Giving at World Science Festival and was responsible for securing foundation and corporate partnerships. For four years prior, Semra worked at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) as an Institutional Giving Manager, generating revenue from a diverse base of foundations. Before BAM, Semra worked at Brooklyn Music School (BMS) as the Director of Development and Operations. At BMS, Semra ran an administrative office while securing institutional, individual, and corporate funding for the organization. Additionally, Semra worked in fundraising and special events at organizations such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Princeton Club of New York.

Semra holds a B.A. in Political Science from Georgia State University and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Baruch College. Semra lives in Brooklyn with her husband and enjoys spending free time with her three children (ages 1, 3, and 10) and plays drums in a band.

Reach Semra at: sercin@brooklynkids.org
DeeArah Wright

Director of Education

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DeeArah Wright

DeeArah is Director of Education at Brooklyn Children’s Museum. She guides the strategy for exemplary and innovative programming at BCM, and she collaborates with the BCM team and community to power a vision for inclusive, hands-on learning experiences rooted in play, inquiry, and exploration for children and their families.

DeeArah’s professional journey in the field of education has included teaching, administration, diversity leadership, and curriculum development. She is a former Co-Director and current board member of JACK--an Obie-winning space in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn with a mission to fuel experiments in art and activism. DeeArah has facilitated education for all ages, artists’ development, and community engagement initiatives as a consultant and social entrepreneur as well as through organizations such as Creative Time, The Laundromat Project, The Field, and Urban Bush Women.

DeeArah holds a B.A. in Literature of the African Diaspora and Anthropology from University of Maryland College Park, and she has completed graduate coursework in Dance & Community Development at New York University’s Gallatin School for Individualized Study. DeeArah lives in Brooklyn, and her current adventures also include cooperative initiatives, revolutionary educational framework, writing, and motherhood.

Reach DeeArah at: dwright@brooklynkids.org
Aldo Tortorelli

Director of Building Operations

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Aldo Tortorelli

Aldo Tortorelli comes to BCM from his previous role as Manager of Engineering & Operations at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, NY. A former Squad Leader in the US Army, Aldo has over 20 years of managing buildings in the healthcare and education spaces. He has held building services roles at LIM College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Central Park Conservancy, the New York City Aquarium, and Columbia University. Aldo has overseen multiple capital projects, including renovations, expansions, and ensuring contract compliances and safety standards. He holds a BS from Hofstra University and a Total Quality Management Certificate from Columbia University. A native of Peru, Aldo has three children and lives on Long Island.

Reach Aldo at: atortorelli@brooklynkids.org

Brooklyn Children’s Museum Administrative Staff

Staff can be reached at (718) 735-4400 and their extension.

Programs & Education

Kwame Brandt-Pierce, After School Program Manager
kbpierce@brooklynkids.org; extension 189

Oasa DuVerney-Gaspar, Teen Programs Coordinator
oduverney-gaspar@brooklynkids.org; extension 119

Will Niedmann, Education Coordinator
wniedmann@brooklynkids.org; extension 118

Jordana Starkman, Public Programs Manager
jstarkman@brooklynkids.org; extension 164

Collections & Exhibits

Kate Calleri, Manager of Collections Interpretation
kcalleri@brooklynkids.org; extension 172

Erik Fiks, Exhibits Manager
efiks@brooklynkids.org; extension 153

Shakira Paula, Live Animal Coordinator
spaula@brooklynkids.org; extension 146

 

Visitor Experience

Myla Seabrook, Events Manager
mseabrook@brooklynkids.org; extension 326

Sandy Smith, Manager of Visitor Experience
ssmith@brooklynkids.org; extension 151

Morgan Vidalis, Membership Coordinator
mvidalis@brooklynkids.org; extension 324

Winston Williams, Manager of Communications
wwilliams@brooklynkids.org; extension 162

Development

Zoë Williams, Development Associate
zwilliams@brooklynkids.org; extension 115