For immediate release

Arlington, VA – The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community, today announced new board officers and five newly elected members.

Appointed as AAM’s incoming Vice Chair of the Board is Larry Dubinski, President & CEO of The Franklin Institute (TFI). A leader in the international museum community, Dubinski serves on the Board and Executive Committee of the American Alliance of Museums, where he was elected Treasurer in 2025, and is Co-Chair of the organization’s 2026 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. He previously served as Chair of the Association of Science and Technology Centers from 2019–2021. 

Under his leadership, TFI has grown into a leading force in science education, implementing national and regional programs that have garnered widespread acclaim. He led three major capital campaigns that raised more than $200 million and has positioned TFI as a premier destination for world-class traveling exhibitions. Dubinski holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. from Temple University Beasley School of Law. 

Appointed as AAM’s incoming Treasurer of the Board is Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D., Louise Taft Semple President/CEO of the Taft Museum of Art. She previously served as the Director of the Florence Griswold Museum and as Associate Director of the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. Beaulieu has served on the AAM board since 2024 and previously served on the AAM Accreditation Commission from 2019-2024.

Beaulieu is the author of Financial Fundamentals for Historic House Museums and Endowment Essentials for Museums, co-editor of The State of Museums: Voices from the Field, and contributor to Financial Management in Museums: Theory, Practice, and Context. She holds an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, another in Arts Administration from Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in American Studies from Boston University.  

In addition to the board officers, the Alliance board announced the renewal of board members elected to a second three-year term:

• Jessica Chavez, Ruth D. and Ken M. Davee Vice President of Education and Chief Learning and Community Partnership Officer, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (2026-2029)
• Patsy Phillips, Director, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Santa Fe, NM (2026-2029)

In addition to these appointments, the AAM board welcomes five leading professionals who will serve three-year terms beginning this May. “Our new and returning Board members bring the perspectives, expertise, and lived experience needed to help guide the Alliance forward,” said Marilyn Jackson, AAM President & CEO. “As we begin to implement our strategic plan, their leadership will be essential to strengthening our community, advancing our advocacy, and ensuring we’re meeting this moment for the museum field with clarity and purpose.” The incoming board members are:

Natalia Crujeiras, CEO and Executive Director, HistoryMiami Museum, is the first female and first Latina CEO and Executive Director of HistoryMiami Museum, Miami’s oldest continuously operating cultural institution and a Smithsonian Affiliate. An immigrant from Mexico and a proud American, she is recognized as a leading cultural voice in Miami-Dade County, guiding the museum’s transformation into a dynamic civic hub that reflects Miami’s global identity and fosters belonging.  

She is a 2025 Emerson Collective Fellow and previously served as Executive Director of Cultural Affairs at Miami Dade College, overseeing the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, Live Arts Miami, and the Freedom Tower. Her career spans journalism, arts management, and public service, including roles at Univision, NBC/Telemundo, and the U.S. Agency for Global Media.  

A 2021 USA Eisenhower Fellow, Crujeiras serves on the Executive Board of Made By Us. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Miami and a B.A. from UNAM. 

Kent L. Killelea, Of Counsel, Jones Day, is a highly respected attorney specializing in taxation law, with decades of experience advising nonprofit organizations and leading cultural institutions. A partner at Jones Day since 1999 and currently Of Counsel, his practice focuses on tax, corporate governance, employee benefits, and lobbying matters, with a particular emphasis on museums and nonprofit organizations. He has represented prominent museums, frequently providing pro bono counsel in support of the sector. Earlier in his career, Killelea served as counsel to the U.S. Congress Joint Committee on Taxation and practiced at Scribner, Hall and Thompson and Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett. 
 

Killelea holds a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, an M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics as a Marshall Scholar, and a B.A. summa cum laude from Dartmouth College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. His board and advisory service includes founding roles with Capital Partners for Education and board service with Musica Aperta. An avid art collector and patron, he is actively engaged with national and international museum organizations and has lectured and published widely on tax, art, and museum law. 

Brent Ott, Chief Operating Officer, The Henry Ford Museum manages all facets of the institution’s business operations, overseeing areas such as Facilities, Security, Guest Services, IT, Food Service & Catering, Sales, Experience Design, and Strategy. He collaborates with The Henry Ford’s executive team and Board to guide long-term strategic planning and ensure alignment on the organization’s core goals. Brent also works with every department to maintain seamless programs and operations. 

Beyond his leadership at The Henry Ford, Brent holds board positions, serving as Chair for both Henry Ford Academy and Culture Source, and is a member of the boards for the Henry Ford Learning Institute, Fair Lane Estate, University of Michigan Dearborn College of Business Advisory Board, and The War Memorial. He also teaches Accounting at Wayne State University. 

Brent’s career at The Henry Ford began in 2000; he became Chief Financial Officer in 2013 and advanced to Chief Operating Officer in 2022. 

Micah Parzen, Ph.D., J.D., CEO, The Museum of Us, is an anthropologist, museum executive, and attorney with more than two decades of experience leading public institutions through periods of ethical, organizational, and cultural change. Since 2010, he has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Museum of Us (formerly the San Diego Museum of Man), where he guided a nationally recognized transformation centered on Indigenous partnership, institutional accountability, and human-centered practices.  

Under his leadership, the Museum of Us has advanced largescale repatriation efforts and public engagement grounded in care, embedding ethics into daily operations rather than treating them as aspirational commitments. The Museum’s work has been widely cited in national and field publications, informing professional discourse across the museum sector.  

Trained as both a cultural anthropologist and an attorney, Parzen brings an unusual combination of scholarly insight, legal fluency, and executive governance experience to board service. He has held leadership and advisory roles across the museum field, including service on the Board of the Western Museums Association and as Board President of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, a collaborative of 28 arts and cultural institutions. 

Juliet Sorce, Executive Vice President, Resnicow and Associates, has over 20 years of experience spearheading integrated communications programs for an international roster of clients across the visual arts and culture. She directs media relations and communication programs for a broad range of museums, foundations, galleries, and nonprofits, focusing on new building and expansion projects, executive leadership transitions, modern and contemporary art initiatives, as well as crisis management.  

Current and recent clients include The Frick Collection, Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Philadelphia, the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Madison Square Park Conservancy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New York Botanical Garden, among many others. As Executive Vice President, Juliet is a key member of R+A’s executive leadership team, overseeing company culture, policies, staffing, and growth.  

Juliet served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Art Museum Curators as its Vice President of Advocacy until 2025, and previously was on the marketing committee at the Children’s Museum of the Arts. She earned a master’s degree in Italian language and culture from Middlebury College in Florence and a Bachelor of Arts in humanities and art history from Yale University. 

See the full list of the Alliance’s board of directors.

The Alliance is grateful to the board members whose service ends this year: Marcia DeWitt, Trustee, Biggs Museum of American Art (who served as Vice Chair & Secretary from 2025-2026 and Member-at-large 2019-2025), Carrie Rebora Barratt, Director, LongHouse Reserve (2020-2026), Alison Rempel Brown, President & CEO, Science Museum of Minnesota (2020-2026), and Charles L. Katzenmeyer (2020-2026). Their leadership has been instrumental in fulfilling the Alliance’s mission and strategic goals.

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) is the only organization representing the entire museum field, from art and history museums to science centers and zoos. Since 1906, we have been championing museums through advocacy and providing museum professionals with the resources, knowledge, inspiration, and connections they need to move the field forward.

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Press Contact:

Natanya Khashan

media@aam-us.org