With over 25 years experience working on senior management teams, in digital media and in visitor experience, at museums in the UK and the US, Carolyn is deeply committed to providing broad audiences access to rich media content and ideas, in the physical museum and across multiple virtual channels. Her proven track record in delivering effective digital strategies, developing guest experience strategies, managing complex stakeholder relationships, and leading multi-skilled teams, speaks to her ability to envision new possibilities and implement change effectively.
Carolyn joined Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in 2018 as Chief Experience Officer, a new role that aims to seamlessly weave the digital and the physical experience together to create an integrated visitor experience. She is responsible for managing Digital, Information Technology, Audio Visual, Customer Relationship Management, Visitor Services, Accessibility, Operations and Facilities departments and a newly created initiative, The Interaction Lab – the museum’s visitor experience R&D insights hub.
Prior to Cooper Hewitt, she served as inaugural Director of Digital and Information Services at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, USA) where she oversaw the launch of a new award-winning website and led new initiatives to improve the visitor experience. Previously, Carolyn was Head of Digital at Imperial War Museums and Project Director of the National Museums Online Learning Project, a flagship project led by the V&A and working in partnership with 9 UK national museums.
In April 2021, Carolyn completed the Oxford Cultural Leadership Virtual Program and was a Getty Leadership Institute (GLI) Fellow in 2017. She also served as President of MCN (Museum Computer Network) in 2017 in the 50th anniversary year of the organization, leading a volunteer board of senior level museum technologists and small Executive team representing information professionals from cultural sector institutions around the world.
