State Museum Promotes Two
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites has promoted Beth Van Why to chief officer of engagement. She has been with the museum since 2015 and most recently served as vice president of exhibitions. In her new role, Van Why oversees exhibitions, education and programming, maintenance, security and historic preservation teams for the 12 locations associated with ISMHS. She serves on the senior management team for the museum, and she works with CEO Cathy Ferree on system-wide strategy development.
Van Why holds a master’s degree in industrial design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and she obtained her bachelor’s degree in architecture with a minor in history from Virginia Tech.
Also, Susannah Koerber has been promoted to chief curator and research officer. She previously served as senior vice president of collections and interpretation. In her new role, Koerber directs the curatorial, collections and research division, which stewards a collection of more than 500,000 objects representing Indiana’s cultural and natural heritage. She will also oversee the museum’s reaccreditation process through the American Alliance of Museums.
Koerber has more than 20 years of museum experience, and she obtained a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Indiana University, and a master’s degree and doctoral degree focused on American studies from Emory University’s Graduate Institute of the Liberal Arts.