ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NINA SIMON has been described as a “museum visionary” by Smithsonian Magazine for her audience-centered approach to design. She is the Executive Director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH), where she led an institutional turnaround based on grassroots community participation. She has consulted with hundreds of international museums, parks, libraries, theaters, historic sites, art and cultural centers on issues of relevance and community participation. Nina began her career at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. Her work has been shared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, NPR, and TEDx. She was named Santa Cruz County Woman of the Year in 2017 for her community leadership at the MAH. Nina lives off the grid in the Santa Cruz mountains with twenty people, twenty-three chickens, five dogs, and one zipline.