Cultural Connections Board 2024-2025

John Alexander, Treasurer (he/him)

Since joining BAMPFA, John has worked to bring the underrecognized artists of all categories to the walls of the museum such as Kay Sekimachi, Candice Lin, Caroline Kent, Hannah Levy, Sin Wai Kin, Gabriel Chaile, and retrospectives of Alison Knowles and Amalia Mesa-Bains. Among other responsibilities, John was involved in the permanent collection of out-going loans to other institutions and, most primarily, a robust acquisition process. Three times annually, he plays a key role in the planning and implementation of gifts and purchases to the BAMPFA collection. This involves donor relations, the maintenance of acquisition funds and meeting coordination as well as the supervision of an ongoing document of potential new works for consideration.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2022

Pallavi Nemali (she/her)

Pallavi is the Marketing and Communications Manager at Montalvo Arts Center. Sparked by a love of performing arts in her youth, she now leverages over a decade of marketing experience in storytelling, design, and more to connect diverse communities through the arts. As a passionate advocate for inclusion, she designs communications that lower barriers to access, fostering belonging in arts and culture spaces. Her aim is to help build resilient, adaptive cultural institutions by empowering the professionals within them.

She holds a B.A. in Psychology and a Minor in Communication from UC Davis.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2025

Hugo Corro (he/him)

Hugo Corro works as Education & Civic Engagement Manager at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art.  Hugo’s role includes training and coordinating volunteers, collaborating with community partners, coordinating and leading school tours, and creating and implementing hands-on art-making for visitors of all ages. Before entering the museum education world, he worked for years in after-school enrichment as a Program Director at Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley providing opportunities for personal growth and development for elementary and middle school youth.

Hugo received his Bachelor of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s degree in Urban Design from UC Berkeley.  

A personal glimpse: Hugo is a new dad and enjoys playing and being active with his one year old son Dario.  Hugo is an avid runner, enjoys trail-running and backpacking, and loves to watch movies in the theater and at home.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2023

Janelle Graves (she/her)

Janelle Graves has been working as a Museum Educator and Art Historian since 1994. She began her career at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and has worked at the Jewish Museum San Francsico, the California Historical Society, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isabella Stweart Gardner Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, the Frye Art Museum, and is currently the Volunteer Manager at the Computer History Museum (CHM). She has also taught Art History and Humanities courses at the University of Pennsylvania, Chestnut Hill College, City College of San Francisco, Seattle Central Community College, and Diablo Valley College.

With over 30 years of experience in art, history, and tech museums, she has a strong background in developing and delivering educational content and activities for students, visitors, and museum volunteers.

A personal glimpse: Janelle is a Van Gogh and Sunflower fanatic, with Amsterdam being her happy place. She is also an avid concert goer – especially if the band is from the 80s or Ska!

Joined Cultural Connections in 1997-2001, 2025

Joanne Sidlovsky Grant, Vice President (she/her)

Joanne is the Acquisitions Registrar at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View. She coordinates the safe receiving of all new artifact acquisitions through donations, sales, and transfers, is responsible for all aspects of documenting those transactions, and maintains related registration records to the highest standards. Joanne can also be found at the Oakland Aviation Museum most Sundays, where she has been managing the collections, library and archives since 2021.

In May 2022, Joanne received a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University, where her coursework focused on collections management, curation, exhibition design, and archives. Prior to returning to school, she spent 15 years in archaeological consulting – she has always loved learning about and caring for objects! 

In the fall of 2021, Joanne was a Curatorial Intern at the Camron-Stanford House in Oakland, under the guidance of Executive Director Iliana Morton (who also introduced her to Cultural Connections!) She is excited to serve as the Vice President of Cultural Connections for 2025-2026, and to create programs and activities to empower her Bay Area colleagues in the museum, cultural, natural, and science fields.

A personal glimpse: Joanne has done archaeological field work in Cyprus, been stuck at a train station overnight in Cannes, and on one day in 2019, had breakfast in France, lunch in Monaco, and dinner in Italy (yes, it can be done!)

Joined Cultural Connections in 2022

 Angeera Khadka, Secretary (she/her)

Angeera Khadka joins Cultural Connections with over thirteen years of experience in cultural institutions. Currently, she works as an Experience Developer at the Oakland Museum of California where she develops visitor-centered interpretation for new and permanent exhibitions. This past year, she served as Adjunct Faculty at the University of San Francisco’s Museum Studies program. She has worked on exhibition development, curatorial research, and educational content for the Presidio Trust, Exhibit Envoy, and Currier Museum of Art. 

Angeera holds an MA in Museum Studies from University of San Francisco and a BA in History of Art and Architecture from Boston University.

A personal glimpse: In her spare time, you can find Angeera bird watching, at a farmer’s market, or exploring a Bay Area hiking trail. 

Joined Cultural Connections in 2024

Ruby Ming, President (she/her)

Ruby aims to provoke unconventional connections to art across cultures, time, and technology. Involved in visual arts education for over 25 years, she has presented captivating art-making workshops for all ages, richly-illustrated lectures for life-long learners, and engaging teacher professional learning seminars on arts integration for the National and California Art Education Associations, Norton Museum of Art, San Jose Museum of Art, and the Santa Clara County Office of Education. In partnership with UC Berkeley History-Social Science Project, she launched a week-long teacher institute in summer 2022 for the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles focused on integrating textile arts in the humanities. As the Associate Director of Outreach and Education at Montalvo Arts Center, she collaborated to design and produce school, teacher, and public programs.

She received her B.A. in Fine Arts from Brown University and her M.A. in Museum Studies, with an emphasis in Programming, from San Francisco State University, where she was also an adjunct lecturer.

A personal glimpse: Ruby enjoys traveling and experiencing daily life and cuisine in other parts of the world. She is especially curious about the artistry and and socio-economic significance of textiles.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2021

 Deborah Munk (she/her)

Deborah is the Manager of the Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence (AIR) Program where she has worked with hundreds of artists and community members on projects ranging from performance to new media both at Recology and at various off-site venues and spaces. She has implemented AIR Programs at Recology facilities across the western region including in Portland and Astoria, OR and Seattle, WA, and continues to be involved with their growth. Deborah also manages the  Environmental Learning Center and Educational Tour Program providing tours to over 4,000 children and adults annually who learn about the importance of  sustainable practices and environmental stewardship. Prior to joining the Recology AIR team, Deborah was the assistant editor of Art/Women/California 1950-2000: Parallels and Intersections, published by UC Press.

She is a graduate of San Francisco State University and holds an MA in Education focusing on art and media.

A personal glimpse: Growing up in Hawaii instilled a deep appreciation and love for the environment, which continues to influence all factors of her life. She has lived in San Francisco for many years with her husband and two dogs and enjoys pilates, independent films, spending time in nature, and traveling.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2023

 Claire Pillsbury (she/her)

Claire Pillsbury is an accomplished leader in the non-profit cultural sector with a proven record in interdisciplinary engagement, exhibit design, informal education, and managing creative teams. She is a past Board member of the Museum Computer Network, served as a Fulbright Specialist at museums in Melbourne, Paris, and Warsaw, and was an advisor for ACM's Reimagining Children's Museums project.

Claire develops and directs cultural and educational programs, curates art-science, history, children’s, and science exhibitions. She has also successfully supported these projects by developing funding strategies and writing and being awarded grants. Claire has planned and produced conferences and seminars for practitioners, directed a multi-disciplinary residency program, and managed institutional collaborations with artists, scholars, designers, and scientists.

Recent roles include Associate Director of Exhibit Content Development at the California Academy of Sciences, Program Director at the Exploratorium, Programs Manager at Chabot, and independent consultant for museums throughout the United States and abroad.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2024

Jisung Heo (she/her)

Jisung works as Registrar for the permanent collections at Crocker Art Museum. She has extensive work experience in Collections Management and Registration practices at Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, SFMOMA, Chinese Historical Society of America, San Francisco State University Museum, and a private art collection in San Francisco.

She holds an MA in Museum Studies from San Francisco State University with emphases on Collections Management and Registration and a BA in Archeology from Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea. 

A personal glimpse: In her free time, Jisung likes visiting museums and galleries (of course!), ice skating, skiing, hiking, and traveling. 

Joined Cultural Connections in 2025

Samantha Stevick (she/her)

Samantha is the Director of Strategic Sales at the Chabot Space & Science Center where, for the last 8 years, she and her team collaboratively built exciting new educational programs and customized events for Oakland and beyond. Former work included positions with The San Francisco Opera in corporate and legacy giving, grant-writing at Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab, and education at the Mattress Factory Museum in Pittsburgh, PA. Her passion is for cultural centers that feature vernacular representation and museum collections orbiting popular culture, unique-object interests, and self-taught works.

She holds Masters degrees in Arts Administration & Public Policy and Art History & Curation from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

A personal glimpse: Originally from Pittsburgh, PA, Samantha has been in the Bay Area for just over a decade and is still exploring all the hiking trails and beautiful scenery it has to offer with her one-eyed dog, Odie. She loves small roadside attraction museums and travels often to visit fascinating sites such as “The Future Birthplace of James T. Kirk” and “The World Famous Crochet Museum.”

Joined Cultural Connections in 2023

Crystal Lee Stone (she/they)

Crystal Lee Stone is the Volunteer Program Manager at the Gardens of Golden Gate Park. Her passion for nature, the arts, and people is reflected in her work both at the Gardens and as an artist. As part of the Programs and Partnerships team at the Gardens, she draws upon over a decade of experience in museums and public spaces such as the Exploratorium, Maud Morgan Arts Center, White House Historical Association, Nantucket Historical Association, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer and Sackler Galleries to lead a vast community of committed and passionate volunteers. Trained to teach yoga, Crystal also periodically teaches yoga classes at the Gardens.

Crystal studied Visual Art and Psychology at Bowdoin College and Museum Studies at Harvard University. 

A personal glimpse: When Crystal isn’t at the Gardens, you can find her at San Francisco’s Noonan Building creating immersive art experiences, riding her bicycle through San Francisco, or backpacking in the Sierras. In addition, she currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Committee of the American Alliance of Museums.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2023

Anna Toledano (she/her)

Anna Toledano works in and on museums. She is a historian and museum professional with over ten years of experience in cultural institutions and academia. Anna is the Executive Director of the Los Altos History Museum in Los Altos, California and serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the History of Collections. She has developed educational content, exhibitions, and programs for organizations such as the New York Botanical Garden, the Cantor Arts Center, and the Computer History Museum. In particular, she has experience working on augmented reality mobile applications.

Anna holds a PhD in History of Science from Stanford and an MA in Museum Anthropology from Columbia.

A personal glimpse: In her spare time, you’ll likely find Anna spinning tunes on KZSU Stanford 90.1 FM, planning her next trip, cheering on the New York Yankees, playing tennis, or knitting up a cozy scarf.

Joined Cultural Connections in 2022