Kate Nolan has managed the Wicoff House Museum since its re-opening in 2019, after more than a decade of working in small history museums in New Jersey.

She received an M.A. in Historic Preservation from Goucher College. Her thesis was an analysis of the efficacy of New Jersey historical societies, which led her to examine the sustainability of small museums and the common thread of a lack of youth engagement.

You can read her thesis here.

Using this research, she established the Wicoff House Museum’s Youth Advisory Council, which is made up of local teens who assist with the development and execution of museum events, programs and exhibits. It has become the most successful program in the museum’s history and has led to the development of significant research on youth engagement in history museums across the country.