We’re delighted to announce that MCN’s Board of Directors has appointed Andy Cummins (second term), Caspar Lam, Jonathan Munar, Katie Reilly, Joshua Schnapf, Sara Snyder, and Alice Walker to serve on the Board each for a three-year term, effective November 2023. Please join us in congratulating each of them on their appointment!
As new faces join the board, others are leaving when their terms end this November: Suse Anderson, Erin Canning, Lisa Schermerhorn, nikhil trivedi, and Don Youngberg. Please join us in thanking them for their time and service!
2023 Nominating Committee
- David Newberry, President
- Jessica Warchall, Vice President
- Andy Cummins, Director
- Jen Holmes, Director
MCN 2023 Board Cohort
Andy Cummins
Managing Director | Cogapp (Brighton, UK)
As Managing Director, Andy Cummins leads Cogapp’s work on a day-to-day basis. He has helped deliver a wide range of projects under various roles, from technical lead to producer, as well as developer for clients including The British Library, The UK National Archives, MoMA New York, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. Most recently Andy has been leading the development of Cogapp Refinery Services and Storiiies. Andy has a degree in software engineering from The University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is a certified Scrum Master. He has experience in a range of both back-end and front-end web technologies as well as years of experience in Objective-C and Java in relation to both mobile applications and on-site, digital interactive experiences.
Andy has facilitated a meditative IIIF-based interactive experience for conference attendees at the MCN conference in Denver, Colorado, as well as a mass-participation immersive experience in Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães as part of the Lumina Light Festival in Cascais, Portugal. He has presented talks and delivered a range of workshops at major international conferences including IIIF Consortium events, MCN, Museums and the Web, and MuseumNext. Andy is a member of The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences and a board member at Phoenix Art Space.
Caspar Lam
Partner | Synoptic Office & Assistant Professor of Communication Design | Parsons (New York, NY)
Caspar Lam is a partner at Synoptic Office, an award-winning design consultancy that works globally with leading cultural, civic, and business organizations to communicate ideas, build experiences, and cultivate new audiences. With over a decade of experience in digital strategy, user experience, and creative direction, he shapes the vision of the studio to help institutional partners transform complex information into meaningful narratives and experiences. He is also an Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons School of Design where he led the curricular transformation and growth of one of the largest undergraduate Communication Design programs in the United States during his tenure as Director.
His past leadership positions advancing the role of design include building and leading the design and digital strategy team at Artstor, a non-profit backed by Mellon funding, to develop digital archival management tools for a number of institutions including Harvard and Cornell. His work has been recognized by Fast Company, the Webbys, Design Week, the Art Director’s Club, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts and has been exhibited internationally including the Biennial of Design at the Museum of Architecture and Design in Ljubljana, the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design in Brno, and at Palazzo Mora in collaboration with the European Cultural Centre and the Venice Biennale. Caspar is a frequent contributor to articles and books and speaks widely on design’s role in shaping culture.
Jonathan Munar
Arts | Bloomberg Philanthropies (New York, NY)
Jonathan is currently on the Arts team at Bloomberg Philanthropies, where he collaborates with cultural institutions across North America as part of the Bloomberg Connects initiative. He has spent nearly two decades connecting audiences to art and culture through digital spaces.
Starting his career at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, his contributions culminated with leading the institution’s first major efforts towards delivering an online space for comprehensive exploration of the museum’s permanent collection. He then dedicated more than a decade to building a digital and communications program at New York–based non-profit Art21, reaching audiences in the millions from around the world.
Katie Reilly
Associate VP of Publishing | Art Institute of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
Katie Reilly is Associate VP of Publishing at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she oversees the museum’s Publishing and Imaging departments. She was previously Deputy Director for Digital Resources and Content Strategy at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with a division comprising the departments of Editorial & Graphic Design; Content; Interactive Technology; Library, Archives & Collections Information; Marketing & Communications; and Publishing. As Director of Publications, Graphics, and Photographic Services at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Katie worked with a small team responsible for print publications, interpretation, graphic design, multimedia production, imaging, and rights (and sometimes digital provenance initiatives!). In 2019, she co-founded the Museum Publishing Digital Interest Group (MuPuDIG), which hosts bimonthly webinars and offers resources geared toward non-technical museum professionals interested in making the leap from print to digital. Her interests are in publishing, particularly the possibilities of digital publishing and the intersection with collections data; open access and intellectual property; and content strategy.
Joshua Schnapf
Head of Creative Services | Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art (Chadds Ford, PA)
In his role as Head of Creative Services at Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, Josh is responsible for the overall vision, strategy, and execution of digital and design projects to engage Brandywine’s audiences and support its mission. Josh joined Brandywine in 2015 to steward the organization’s new branding and website. He has since led many creative projects—from designing special exhibitions to producing fundraising videos—focusing on strong visual design and compelling messaging.
Previously, he worked at the Barnes Foundation, where he was instrumental in coordinating design, marketing, and digital projects as the foundation opened its new building in Philadelphia. Josh has a degree in studio art with a concentration in photography. He began his career as an exhibiting artist and managed production for a fine art photographer, where he mastered the now obsolete skills of working in a darkroom. He is a dad of three and spends most of his time outside of work teaching his kids to skateboard, make art, and grow things in their garden.
Sara Snyder
Director of Digital Programs | Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC)
Sara Snyder is Director of Digital Programs in the Smithsonian’s Office of Digital Transformation, where she leads priority pan-institutional initiatives and collaborates with museums and research centers across the Smithsonian to support their digital efforts.
Sara has also worked in digital and communications teams at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Archives of American Art. She has presented and published on a variety of topics, including user experience research, virtual reality, social media, linked open data, AI, and Wikipedia.
She has an MLS in information studies and an MA in American history from the University of Maryland, College Park, a BA in Writing from the University of California, San Diego.
Alice Walker
Principal | Alice Dow Walker Consulting (Washington, DC)
Alice Walker is Managing Director, Business Development & Strategic Partnerships for Solomon Group, where she leads strategic growth for design-build, consulting, fabrication and AV integration projects for museums, cultural placemaking, brand homes, sports venues, and themed entertainment. For the past 20 years Alice has attended, presented sessions, facilitated workshops, and made lasting friendships at MCN, as well as was program co-chair for MCN 2023. Alice has an MA in Visual Arts Administration from NYU and a BA in English Literature, Creative Writing from Colorado College. Alice loves spending time with her kids, cooking, visiting immersive installations, travel, and eating blue crabs on the Chesapeake Bay.