When you consider who the most important person at a museum is, does a curator come to mind? While curators play a critical role in the conceptual thinking, research, and development of museum experiences, the most important people at museums are the people who fill them! Museums are increasingly investing in research that aims to understand the perspectives of audiences in order to better serve them. As a project manager at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Stacey Knepp has helped to usher in an audience-focused approach to designing educational experiences. She will share how this approach gives the time and space for audiences to teach museums how to plan and design their exhibitions in order to improve visitor experience and educational outcomes.

Stacey Knepp, PMP, MA ’09, is a project manager for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Levine Institute for Holocaust Education, for which she develops strategic plans and manages educational projects anchored in the Museum’s thematic initiatives and special exhibitions.

The Comet Corner Series, created by the UT Dallas Office of Research and in partnership with the schools across our campus, hosts chats with some of our notable alumni to hear how they have taken their research out into the world and made #UTDResearchImpact​. For info on the next session, visit https://utd.link/CometCornerInfo​.