Leadership

Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D.
Director

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On December 13, 2005, the President of the United States appointed Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., a distinguished art and architecture historian, museum professional, and administrator, to be Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The U.S. Senate confirmed Radice’s nomination on March 13, 2006. IMLS, an independent United States government agency, is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums.

During her tenure, Radice created and is providing leadership for Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action (see www.imls.gov/collections), a national conservation initiative designed to raise public awareness, inspire action, and encourage private sector support. The initiative includes a National Conservation Summit, four forums on conservation taking place across the country, the distribution of 2,000 Conservation Bookshelves, and collaborative planning grants that will advance every state’s collective conservation goals. The initiative also includes the development of a resource-laden Web site and a conservation video that collecting institutions can use to raise awareness and funds. Radice’s enduring commitment to conservation and preservation was recognized in April 2008 when she was honored with the Forbes Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Conservation from the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and received a resolution of appreciation from the American Association of Museums (AAM).

As a member of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Radice has had the opportunity to help shape international cultural policy. Under her direction, IMLS began the International Strategic Partnerships initiative to establish international strategic partnerships and make connections around the globe. In May 2008, she served on the faculty of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, sharing her expertise on international exchanges of knowledge and objects, and recommending ways to overcome circulation obstacles.

Under Radice's direction, the agency has established the Office of Policy, Research and Communications to analyze trends, promote best practices, and evaluate programs. In December 2007, the agency published a study on effective youth programming in libraries and museums followed by guides for practitioners and policy makers on the best uses of this data. She also launched the first study of public funding for the nation's museums, which will be released in summer 2008. In 2007, the agency made its inaugural release of nationwide statistics on state and public libraries.

In honor of the agency's tenth anniversary, First Lady Laura Bush awarded the inaugural National Medals for Library and Museum Service to ten outstanding institutions at a White House ceremony in January 2007. Radice recommended elevating this honor from an award to a medal and increased the number of recipients from six to ten.

In 2007, Radice established The IMLS Leadership Lecture, a national policy event established to inform policy, inspire new leaders and new leadership ideas, and spur innovation and action. Dr. Robert Dilenschneider delivered the first address in October 2007, and participated in discussions with new and emerging library and museum leaders.

Prior to joining the IMLS, Radice was the Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities. She assisted the Chairman in the overall program administration of this federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.

Before joining the National Endowment for the Humanities, Radice was Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education from 2003 to 2005. She was a member of the Secretary’s executive team and worked closely with the Secretary to fulfill the department's mission to promote excellence in American education.

From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Radice served as Executive Director of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in New York City. Begun more than 35 years ago by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the foundation promotes religious freedom, tolerance, and human rights throughout the world.

From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Radice was Executive Director of the Friends of Dresden, Inc., an organization devoted to the reconstruction, restoration, and preservation of Dresden’s artistic and architectural legacy. Her fund-raising responsibilities included Friends of Dresden’s two largest campaigns: restoration of the Dresden Synagogue set ablaze during Kristallnacht in1938 and reconstruction of the Frauenkirche (Our Lady of Sorrows Cathedral), which dominated the city’s skyline from 1794 until 1945.

From 1993 to 1995, Radice consulted for New River Media, World Affairs Television Production in Montreal and Washington, DC, and Grey and Company II.

Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in May 1992 to serve as the Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Radice oversaw the development, congressional approval, and management of a $175 million budget and 273 employees. Prior to her appointment, Radice was Senior Deputy Chairman, the number two spot at the agency, where she developed substantial private funding opportunities and partnerships for a variety of projects.

From 1989 to 1991, Dr. Radice was Chief of the Creative Arts Division of the United States Information Agency (USIA) where she supervised the presidentially-appointed Cultural Property Advisory Committee. The committee, formed in response to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, promotes long-term measures to safeguard cultural heritage artifacts. She also managed the USIA’s international planning of fine arts, museum technology, art conservation, and cultural tourism.

As the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1983-1989), the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to displaying works by women artists of all periods and nationalities, Radice participated in the renovation of a 78,810-square-foot historic Washington landmark. Redesigned with the highest museum and security standards, the former Masonic Temple near the White House reopened as the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in 1987 and has won numerous architectural awards. By the end of her directorship, the NMWA’s annual budget had grown to $4 million and its membership had reached 100,000.

From 1976 to 1985, Radice worked in the Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol, first as Architectural Historian (1976 to 1981), then as Curator. While there, Radice developed an information and conservation system for the 55,000 historic drawings in the collection. She initiated art restoration and conservation programs for the U.S. Capitol and other buildings under its jurisdiction. She also supervised the Research, Archives, Records Management, and Architectural History Divisions.

Radice began her career in arts administration in 1971 at the National Gallery of Art as Assistant Curator and Staff Lecturer. Until 1976, Radice wrote educational materials for such blockbuster exhibitions as King Tutenkamen and Treasures from China. She also initiated the first-ever foreign language lecture and tour service and was cited by the Wall Street Journal for introducing the National Gallery to a wider audience.
Radice has authored numerous publications on art and architecture including The Original Library of Congress: the history (1800-1814) of the Library of Congress in the United States Capitol (1981), a seminal architectural study of the West Front of the U.S. Capitol that resolved a controversy during the restoration of the façade and led to its successful completion.

Radice has a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1976), an MBA from American University (1985), and a BA in Art History from Wheaton College, Norton, MA (1969). Radice also has an MA from the Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy (1971), and did graduate coursework in northern Italian architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Radice succeeded Dr. Robert S. Martin, a library professional, as Director of the Institute and will serve for a four-year term ending in 2009. Deputy Director for Libraries Mary L. Chute served as Acting Director since the end of Dr. Martin’s term in July 2005. The IMLS directorship alternates between individuals from the museum and library communities.

Mary L. Chute
Deputy Director for Libraries

Mary L. Chute brings more than 20 years of professional library experience to IMLS. She comes to IMLS from the Delaware Division of Libraries/State Library, where she held the position of Director and State Librarian. As Director and State Librarian, Mary promoted the extension and improvement of statewide library services through community outreach, library automation, new technologies, and resource sharing. Mary oversaw programming throughout the state's public libraries, including DelAWARE: The Digital Library of the First State, and the Delaware Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Mary served as the state's advocate for libraries with the legislature and the public.

With the staff at the Delaware Division of Libraries, Mary assisted in adapting the Library Associate Training Institute from Maryland for Delaware's libraries. In accord with Mary’s vision of superb customer service in libraries, the program will focus on strengthening the communication skills of all library staff. Mary and the Delaware Council on Libraries have laid the groundwork for an ambitious statewide technology plan for Delaware's libraries, the goal of which is to design a single patron database and a single statewide catalog supported by the state library. Under Mary's leadership a statewide reading program for all ages, "Delaware Reads about the American Dream," was initiated as a collaborative effort between Delaware's public libraries and the state Department of Education.

Mary was the Public Library Consultant for the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Library Development. While working for Maryland her responsibilities included marketing and public relations for Maryland libraries, monitoring community based strategic planning initiatives, and providing assistance to the county and regional systems and “Sailor,” Maryland's award-winning online public information network.

Mary began her library career with the Massachusetts library system where she worked for 16 years, eight of which she spent as a public library director. She has a Master of Arts in art history from Boston University and a Master of Library Science from Simmons College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of Michigan.

Marsha L. Semmel
Deputy Director for Museums and Director for Strategic Partnerships

As Deputy Director for Museums, Marsha L. Semmel manages the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ portfolio of grantmaking programs that support capacity-building and leadership projects for all types of museums, including art, history, science, historic houses, children’s museums, aquaria, arboreta, botanical gardens, and zoos.

As Director for Strategic Partnerships, Ms. Semmel maintains oversight of federal-state partnership activities, initiates and implements collaborations with other federal agencies and organizations, and manages special projects and initiatives.

From 1998 to 2002, Ms. Semmel was President and CEO of the Women of the West Museum, in Denver, Colorado. Prior to that, she was President and CEO of Conner Prairie, a living history museum in Indianapolis, Indiana.
From 1984 to 1996, Ms. Semmel worked at the National Endowment for the Humanities, in Washington, DC, serving as program officer; Assistant Director for Humanities Projects in Museums and Historical Organizations; and Director, Division of Public Programs. She began her museum career as curator and educator at the Taft Museum in Cincinnati, was deputy director of the B’nai B’rith National Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, and Program Coordinator for the Resident Associates Program at the Smithsonian Institution. In 1979, Semmel was a Fellow in the Museums Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Mamie Bittner
Deputy Director for Policy, Planning, Research, and Communications

Having held the position of Director of Public and Legislative Affairs since the agency’s inception in 1997, and prior to that held similar positions at the agency’s predecessor, the Institute of Museum Services, Mamie Bittner took on responsibility for the agency’s research and evaluation functions as well in November 2006. She holds a master’s degree in education from the George Washington University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Mamie is a senior advisor to the Director of IMLS and is responsible for helping to build positive relationships between the agency and its key stakeholders including Congress, the Administration, the agency’s board and the museum and library communities. She is the primary media spokesperson for IMLS and works closely with the Institute’s directors to develop and implement legislative strategy for Congressional reauthorization and appropriations.

She leads the public and legislative affairs team in the creation and implementation of a communications strategy that underscores the agency’s goals and highlights the role of libraries and museums in American society. She played a key role in launching and developing the National Awards for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for the public service role of libraries and museums. The award has been presented by the First Lady of the United States nearly every year since its inception in 1994.

She provided strategic advice in shaping new directions for several of the agency’s core grantmaking programs including Museums for America, Librarians for the 21st Century and National Leadership Grants. Under Mamie’s direction the agency has produced award winning publications including Sustaining Our Heritage: The IMLS Achievement and Perspectives on Outcome Based Evaluation for Libraries and Museums. She launched the agency’s monthly newsletter, Primary Source, an electronic publication with over 10,000 subscribers that profiles promising practices and connects people with IMLS resources.

Kate Fernstrom
Chief of Staff

Kate Fernstrom became Chief of Staff at IMLS in April 2006, having previously worked for five other federal agencies. She is the Director’s second-in-command, overseeing all of the Institute’s operations.

Immediately prior to coming to IMLS, Kate worked at the U.S. Department of Education, beginning as the Confidential Assistant to the Chief of Staff before being promoted to Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Her last position at Education was Chief of Staff for the Office of Communications and Outreach, an organization of 142 people across the country who are responsible for the internal and external message of the department.

Kate’s previous federal government experience includes stints with Health and Human Services, Commerce, Labor, and Interior. She has also worked for three members of Congress.

Kate has a degree in Italian Studies with a minor in Art History from Wells College in Aurora, New York.

Ann Marie Pedersen
Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations

Ann Marie Pedersen serves IMLS as its Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations. Ann Marie joined IMLS after nearly four years at the Department of Education. Her first position was in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs as a Regional Representative responsible for communicating with and being responsive to members of the House and Senate. In 2004 Ann Marie moved to the Secretary’s office as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff and in 2005 she moved to the Office for Civil Rights first as a the Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary then in March 2006 she was promoted to Chief of Staff . Prior to entering government service, she spent ten years fundraising for various political and non-profit organizations.

Ann Marie is a graduate of the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from The George Washington University. She is originally from New York, currently resides in Alexandria, Virginia.

Nancy Weiss
General Counsel

Nancy E. Weiss serves as General Counsel of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In this capacity, she advises the Director, the National Museum and Library Services Board, and agency officials on the legal aspects of cultural activity, public-private partnerships, grant-making, and the full range of legal issues involved in managing a federal agency. Nancy has represented the United States Government on delegations to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Organization of American States (OAS), and international conferences relating to Holocaust-Era Assets.

Prior to joining IMLS, Nancy served as Deputy General Counsel of the National Endowment for the Humanities, where she also provided counsel to the Arts and Artifacts Indemnity Program and represented the agency on the National Archives Trust Fund Board. Nancy earlier practiced litigation and media law at Williams and Connelly in Washington D.C., held a legal research fellowship in New Delhi, India, and completed a federal judicial clerkship with the Hon. William W Schwarzer (N.D. California and Director of the Federal Judicial Center).

Nancy graduated with honors from the University of Michigan Law School, and phi beta kappa with a degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to attending law school, Nancy directed a student retention program at the University of Pennsylvania and managed Philadelphia's Shubert Theatre.

Schroeder Cherry, Ed.D.
Counselor to the Director

Schroeder Cherry's thirty-plus years in the museum field span a broad range of areas with primary focus on making museum resources accessible to the public. As Counselor to the Director, he is cultivating relationships with entities that have previously had little contact with IMLS. He is liaison to community, museum, and library groups; provides advice on agency communications; and is integral to helping shape future directions for the agency. Prior to his appointment as Counselor, Dr. Cherry served a as IMLS Deputy Director, heading up the Office of Museum Services.

Dr. Cherry came to IMLS with experience in a wide variety of settings, most recently as Deputy Director for Education and Public Programs at the Maryland Historical Society. Prior to his position at MdHS he was a program officer at the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds, where he helped develop and administer the Funds' initiative to increase the audiences for visual arts, folk arts, and arts education. His other museum experience includes positions at the Anacostia Museum, the Studio Museum in Harlem, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. He is active in professional service organizations, and has a substantial record of publications.

As Deputy Director for Education and Public Programs at the Maryland Historical Society from 2000 until 2002, Schroeder managed onsite and outreach education programs to an annual audience of 94,000. He collaborated with museum curators and designers on exhibitions including the powerful and popular, What's It To You? Black History is American History (February 2002 - June 2003).

As a Program Officer for the Wallace-Reader's Digest Funds from1996 until 2000, Schroeder assisted in the expansion of community grants, researched potential grantees, and recommended awards. During his tenure with the Funds, he oversaw 170 grants totaling over $52 million.

Schroeder was Director of Education and Community from 1990 until 1996 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, developing education programs related to American and European painting, sculpture, and prints; decorative arts; and African, Asian, and Oceanic art. While there he managed over six full-time and 120 part-time staff. He also served as an advocate to the BMA's local, regional, and national constituencies. He coordinated the Joshua Johnson Council, the oldest African-American support group established by a major museum.

From 1988 until 1990, Schroeder served as Museum Educator at The J. Paul Getty Museum. Before that he was Chief of Education at the New York City Transit Exhibit, Director of Education at The Studio Museum in Harlem, and Museum Educator at the Anacostia Museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

Schroeder has a Doctor of Education in Museum Education from Columbia University in New York (1988), a Master of Teaching in Museum Education from George Washington University (1978), and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan where he graduated summa cum laude in 1976. He is a native of Washington, DC.

Mary Estelle Kennelly
Associate Deputy Director for Museum Services

As the Associate Deputy Director for Museum Services, Mary Estelle Kennelly oversees the agency’s museum grant programs, supervises the museum program staff, develops grant guidelines for new programs, represents agency programs to the public, and works with senior staff on program and policy matters.

Mary Estelle has been with IMLS since February 1993, coming from a background that included work in both museums and grant administration. Prior to her arrival at IMLS, she developed the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) at Heritage Preservation, Inc. After administering the program for two years, she spent her final year and a half at Heritage Preservation as Director for Collections Care Programs, which included CAP, a project examining the conservation needs of natural science collections, and the development of a program to teach institutions to raise funds for conservation and collections care.

From 1984 to1989, Mary Estelle was the director/curator of the 18th century Stanley-Whitman House in Farmington, CT. In that position, she oversaw the restoration of the historic house, raising the necessary funds, working with the architectural historians and construction crew, and maintaining museum programs and activities while the work was underway.

Mary Estelle graduated from the College of William and Mary with a B.A. double major in history and art history. She received her M.A. from the George Washington University in museum studies while working full-time as a program specialist in the Smithsonian’s Office of Fellowships and Grants.

Joyce Ray, Ph.D.
Associate Deputy Director for Library Services

Joyce Ray has directed the agency’s discretionary library programs since 1997. An archivist by training, Joyce also has responsibility for agency-wide digital initiatives. Prior to joining IMLS, she held positions as Assistant Program Director for Technological Evaluation and Acting Program Director, National Historical Publications and Records Commission; Special Assistant to the Archivist, National Archives and Records Administration; and Head of Special Collections, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

She currently serves as a member of the program committee of the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries, is the U.S. organizer of the International Digital Cultural Content Forum, and is the principal organizer of the annual IMLS Web-Wise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World.

She helped to organize and was one of the first members of the Joint Committee on Libraries, Archives and Museums sponsored jointly by the American Library Association, the American Association of Museums, and the Society of American Archivists.

She is a certified archivist and holds a Master of Library Science from the University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she holds a PhD in American history, with a specialty in the social history of women and medicine in the U.S., and has taught women's history at Georgetown University. She has presented at numerous professional meetings about IMLS and its programs, and about trends in libraries, archives and museums relating to technology, professional education, and convergence.

Laurie C. Brooks
Associate Deputy Director for State Programs

From 2003 to 2008, Brooks worked as a senior library grant program officer in the state programs division. Prior to joining IMLS, Brooks spent nearly 30 years working in the library field throughout New England and New York. She held administrative positions as director of the Orono (ME) Public Library and the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES School Library System.

Brooks also was actively involved in New York’s statewide database and technology planning committees. She served as president of the School Library Systems Association of New York, as a member of the board of trustees for the Tompkins County Public Library and the South Central Regional Library Council both located in Ithaca, NY, and as a member of New York’s Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) network council known as NYLINK.

Brooks earned her Master of Science in Library Science from Simmons College in Boston, and received her Certificate of Advanced Study in School Administration and Supervision from the State University of New York, Cortland College. She is an alumna of the University of New Hampshire, where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood Education.

Carlos A. Manjarrez
Associate Deputy Director for Research and Statistics

Manjarrez joined IMLS from the Urban Institute where he was the principal investigator for a national study of public libraries and local economic development for the Urban Libraries Council and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2003, he co-published a report on the role that partnerships play in expanding access to public libraries, museums, and public broadcasters. During his tenure at the Institute, he worked on more than 25 major research projects ranging from neighborhood studies in single cities to congressionally-mandated studies of federal programs. Prior to working at the Urban Institute, Manjarrez worked for the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the American Bar Foundation, and was a graduate fellow at the Joint Center for Poverty Research in Chicago.

In his role at IMLS, he identifies program-related issues of interest to the agency, and develops and implements short, intermediate, and long-range research, program evaluation, and statistics plans. These efforts take into account agency policies and program directions and the needs of libraries and museums in the United States.

Elizabeth Lyons
Special Events and Board Liaison

Elizabeth Lyons has been the Special Assistant to the Director since 1998. She is one of the principle liaisons to the 20 members of the presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed National Museum and Library Service Board. Elizabeth also works closely with the Director of Public and Legislative Affairs, the Director of Strategic Partnerships and the Deputy Directors to coordinate agency-wide events, like the National Award for Museum and Library Service, the Web-Wise conference, and other high profile events. Prior to joining IMLS, Elizabeth worked as a legal specialist at a trade association and a litigation assistant at a non-profit, public interest law firm. She has also been a volunteer at the National Zoo for six years and is currently president of the zoo’s volunteer association. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Massachusetts and is currently working toward a master’s in education from the University of Virginia.