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CATHERINE LYNN MARTS
<br /> (919)260-5403, maris @kidzuchildrensmuseum.org
<br /> 20 years of experience planning, developing,securing funding for, directing, implementing, and evaluating
<br /> initiatives to nurture child and family learning and well-being, with on emphasis on experiential learning,
<br /> museum education, early education, community-academic collaborations, and fostering creativity.
<br /> PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
<br /> Education&Grants Director,Kidzu Children's Museum(Expansion Museum),Chapel Hill,NC(7/11-present)
<br /> Direct educational planning and grant initiatives for Kidzu Children's Museum,a hands-on museum for children aged 0-8
<br /> years dedicated to"inspiring children and the adults in their lives to learn through play." Focus on the planning and
<br /> design of Kidzu's new museum facility in downtown Chapel Hill. Collaborate with academic and creative experts of the
<br /> Triangle region to position Kidzu as an innovator in creative,evidence-based,museum education for children and families.
<br /> ■ Provide leadership in planning all educational initiatives for Kidzu's new facility,including educational programs,exhibit
<br /> educational content,outreach to children and families in need,and community and academic partnerships
<br /> ■ Ensure that education programs in the museum's current site serve as"seeds of innovation"for the new museum
<br /> ■ Direct the museum's grant funding program as lead grant writer and director of grant programs
<br /> ■ Plan and provide oversight of the museum's evaluation activities
<br /> ■ Co-lead master planning of new museum facility including collaboration on the development of exhibit and facility
<br /> plans,with a particular focus on educational aspects of new museum exhibit and facility planning
<br /> • Conducted a 250-page review of state,national,and international evidence,best practices,and expert opinion
<br /> regarding key learning needs of children and families that can be effectively addressed by Kidzu Children's Museum
<br /> • Facilitated a year-long series of team discussions on current and emerging museum education issues including:early
<br /> learning,the role of play in children's learning,21"century learning,global education reform,achievement gaps,
<br /> natural learning,and family learning
<br /> ■ Assembled more than a dozen academic and other educational advisors to provide input on Kidzu's museum planning
<br /> ■ Co-organized a 2-day architectural design workshop for the new facility engaging more than 20 community advisors
<br /> ■ Created a comprehensive Business Plan for Kidzu's new facility
<br /> ■ Chair,Educational Advisory Network;Member, Kidzu Exhibits Advisory Committee
<br /> Educational Consultant&Grant Writer,Kidzu Children's Museum(Expansion Museum),Chapel Hill,NC(11/10-7/11)
<br /> ■ Authored a$1.5 million foundation challenge grant for the new museum(grant approved June 2011)
<br /> ■ Conducted a comprehensive(^'100 page)review of grant funding opportunities for the new museum
<br /> ■ Conducted a review of the museum's 2010-11 evaluation data and authored two grant reports based on these data
<br /> ■ Provided educational and strategic planning consultation for Kidzu's expansion museum with a focus on master
<br /> planning activities and community engagement workshops
<br /> Founding Executive Director,Kidzu Children's Museum,Chapel Hill,NC(1/06-8/10)
<br /> Founding Executive Director of Kidzu Children's Museum. Directed the opening of Kidzu Children's Museum's first facility
<br /> in 2006 in a 2,700 ft2 storefront location in downtown Chapel Hill. Subsequently,oversaw educational services in this
<br /> location,while collaborating with the Board of Directors to secure and plan a larger,permanent home for the museum.
<br /> Primary areas of responsibility included:institutional planning and oversight,educational leadership,exhibit planning and
<br /> development,grant writing and other fundraising efforts,financial management,personnel,public relations,
<br /> communications,community collaborations,evaluation,marketing,and new site planning. Member, Executive Committee,
<br /> Strategic Planning Committee, Building Committee,Super Fundraising Committee. Chair,Exhibit Advisory Committee.
<br /> • Planned and directed the opening of Chapel Hill's first children's museum in March 2006
<br /> ■ Served more than 125,000 visitors over four years,with significant increases in attendance annually
<br /> ■ Wrote grants raising more than$575,000 from local,state and national funders
<br /> ■ Oversaw planning of educational initiatives including exhibit development and master program planning
<br /> • Selected and organized 6 traveling exhibitions at Kidzu from other national children's museums
<br /> • Led concept planning and oversaw development of Kidzu's first original exhibit"KidZoom:The Power of Creativity"
<br /> ■ Organized collaborations with dozens of academic and community educational,design,and master planning advisors
<br /> ■ Created and secured funding for a pilot outreach and caregiver education program serving families in need
<br /> ■ Instituted and oversaw comprehensive evaluation processes for museum programs,exhibits,and outreach
<br /> ■ Collaborated on successful negotiations with the Town of Chapel Hill for a museum expansion site valued at$4 million
<br /> ■ Developed a comprehensive educational vision for Kidzu's expansion museum
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