MCN is pleased to welcome four new members to its Board of Directors: Claire Blechman, Beth Fischer, Scott Gillam, and Ryan Waggoner. Each will serve a three-year term, bringing fresh perspectives and a range of expertise to MCN’s strategic direction. Please join us in congratulating each of them on their appointment!
As we welcome the new cohort, we also want to extend our sincere thanks to outgoing board members Andrea Ledesma and Jessica Warchall for their dedication and invaluable contributions during their tenure.
2024 Nominating Committee
- David Newberry, President
- Jessica Warchall, Vice President
- Andrea Ledesma, Secretary
- Andy Cummins, Director
- Sara Snyder, Director
MCN 2024 Board Cohort
Claire Blechman
Enterprise Onboarding Manager | Bynder (Boston, MA)
Claire Blechman is an Enterprise Onboarding Manager at Bynder, a digital asset management SaaS company. At Bynder she leads the DAM audit program, helping clients evaluate, clean up, and improve their metadata and workflow processes. Previously she was Digital Asset Manager at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. At PEM she supported the publishing program as production editor, managed all the copyright licensing, and implemented the 225-year-old museum’s very first digital asset management system.
Claire has been a member of the Museum Computer Network community since 2015, and is grateful to have an organization like MCN, which combines her professional and political interests. You may remember her from such MCN hits as her Ignites (“I’m DAM Creative and So Can You,” and “Everything Is On Fire: How to Advocate for the Arts with Your Elected Officials”) and sessions on how to unionize your museum.
Beth Fischer
Assistant Curator for Digital Learning & Research | Williams College Museum of Art (Williamstown, MA)
Beth Fischer is the Assistant Curator for Digital Learning & Research at the Williams College Museum of Art. She teaches how digital approaches can be used to research museum objects and collections in new ways to students in classes ranging from chemistry to comparative literature, and leads projects to expand access to the museum collection through digital tools.
Beth works with museum staff to apply computational imaging techniques like Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) to research, and to expand museum cataloging to make it more adaptable for a variety of internal and external data projects. Beth received her PhD in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and got into digital approaches to art while working on early medieval manuscripts and metalwork.
Scott Gillam
Director of Design and Digital Experience | Canadian Museum for Human Rights (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
As Director of Design and Digital Experience, Scott leads digital transformation and design strategy at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR), and specializes in emerging technologies, transformative experience design, fabrication, and exhibition design. He focuses on creating immersive and inclusive experiences that engage diverse audiences both onsite and online, reflecting his commitment to advancing human rights through innovative digital and physical experiences.
At CMHR, Scott oversees initiatives like master experience planning, digital platform development, media production, Digital Asset Management, and the integration of AR, VR, and XR technologies. Since becoming Director in November 2022, Scott has driven strategic innovations in digital and design practices. He previously served as Acting Director of Innovation and Manager of Digital Platforms, leading digital experience and software development. Scott also contributed to digital storytelling across Canada as a Selection Advisory Committee Member for Digital Museums Canada.
Scott holds a B.F.A. from the University of Manitoba and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Graphic Design and New Media from Red River Polytech, where he has also taught New Media. His leadership in universal design has positioned the CMHR as a leader in digital storytelling, empowering individuals to connect with human rights in meaningful ways.
Ryan Waggoner
Director of Creative Services | Spencer Museum of Art (Lawrence, KS)
As an arts professional with a passion for visual storytelling and making art accessible to all, Ryan has dedicated his career to creating dynamic and engaging platforms and content that inspires people to explore the world of art.
In his role as Director of Creative Services, Ryan helps lead the Spencer Museum in an inclusive and interactive visual and digital direction that fulfills its mission of interdisciplinary exploration of art, ideas, and experience. He oversees a team of videography, photography, and graphic design staff, working closely with them to develop and maintain a unified visual and digital presence for the museum. He collaborates with content and design staff to lead the creative direction of the museum’s digital media program. Ryan has also been instrumental in the implementation of the museum’s digital plan.
Ryan is a graduate of the University of Kansas (2011) and the Getty Leadership Institute NextGen program (2017). His field-wide contributions include four years as chair of MCN’s Media Production and Branding Special Interest Group, a published guide to captioning and digital accessibility, and numerous papers and presentations for a variety of museum conferences. Throughout his decade-plus career, Ryan has strived to shape how museums present themselves as interdisciplinary arts and research institutions.