Events & Stewardship
Alexandra Riley
Events & Stewardship / Leadership Committees
Alexandra graduated from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL with a B.A. in Public Relations. She began her career in real estate and media, eventually bringing a background in fundraising and a passion for the arts to the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park San Diego, as Manager of Development. Her efforts have helped broaden the pool of prospective contributors to the arts while furthering engagement among existing donors. She is passionate about ensuring that art education is accessible to the public. Alexandra is seeking like-minded professionals to learn from and to become a resource for those who are new in the museum field.
Emma Poggioli
Events & Stewardship / Leadership Committees
Emma is currently the Registrar/Administrative Assistant for the Balboa Art Conservation Center. After earning a MA in Public History at the University at Albany, she headed west. She visited Balboa Park her second day in San Diego, began volunteering with the San Diego History Center the following month and has been working in the Park ever since. Emma hopes to help encourage communication between fellow emerging museum professionals and San Diego’s cultural community. Previous EMP Involvement: Stewardship Chair 2019-2020.
Lucia Burrafato
Events & Stewardship Committee
Lucia is a seasoned event planning, fundraising and marketing leader with a passion for art & cultural institutions. Currently, she is the Annual Giving & Membership Manager at the Museum of Photographic Arts. Lucia is originally from New Jersey and attended St. John’s University in Queens, New York to study Fine Art. As a new San Diego resident, she is looking forward to deepening her connection within the museum community and pushing forward strategies to innovate & move traditional museums into the future.
Olivia Mongarro
Events & Stewardship Committee
Olivia (she/her) graduated from California State University, Monterey Bay with an Environmental Studies Degree and is now a Visitor Engagement Supervisor in La Jolla and a new Emerging Museum Professionals Board Member. She hopes to help museum professionals understand the field that they are getting into and how to apply themselves and their skills to an ever changing and entertaining career.
Marketing & Communications
Kendra Story
Marketing & Communications / Leadership Committees
Kendra is an emerging museum professional with a passion for arts and culture, currently working in the Operations Department of a small art museum in Balboa Park: the Timken Museum of Art. Kendra has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting along with ample experience in sales and marketing. Kendra values accessibility and inclusion and hopes to help demystify the museum field for the San Diego community.
Mikee Ferran
Marketing & Communications / Leadership Committees
Mikee began her journey into museums as a program assistant for the Smithsonian Museum on Main Street program at Utah Humanities in 2016. This experience (and an internship at a contemporary folk art museum) provided invaluable hands-on training in the museum field. She currently works as the Museum Exhibition and Visual Arts Supervisor at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. Mikee is passionate about advocating for museums and the work that supports these institutions. Accessibility, transparency, and opportunity are the foundations of her personal work philosophy. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Master’s degree in American History. Previous EMP Involvement: Programming Co-Chair 2019-2020.
Antonette Adiova
Marketing & Communications Committee
Antonette (she/her) is a User Experience (UX) Designer and Researcher who is passionate about making sure that websites and apps are enjoyable and easy for people to use. She’s also an arts lover and museum enthusiast! Antonette received her PhD in Musicology with an Emphasis in Ethnomusicology from the University of Michigan. She hopes to help great emerging museum professionals from around San Diego connect and learn from each other.
Melissa S Medina
Marketing & Communications Committee
Melissa S Medina (she/her) is an emerging museum professional working in Visitor Experience at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Melissa received her BA in fine arts, emphasis in painting, from San Diego State University. She is also a working artist and runs a small business in the heart of Barrio Logan. Melissa hopes to foster a diverse and resourceful environment for people of all backgrounds to grow in their careers.
Outreach & Advocacy
Tiona Lyons-King
Outreach & Advocacy / Leadership Committees
Tiona is a museum and culture advocate who is passionate about museums and accessibility to all. She has focused her career on creating spaces in which all people feel welcome and plans on bringing that work into San Diego EMP. Tiona has a BA in Anthropology from Sacramento State University and a Museum Studies Certification from Northwestern University. She is currently the Community Engagement Manager at the California Association of Museums (CAM). With her current roles on the Outreach and Advocacy Committee and Leadership Committee, Tiona hopes to help create an inviting space for all museum professionals in San Diego and surrounding areas.
Joining the Board
The call for new board members takes place once a year, at least four months before June. Current board members may nominate new board members but they must complete the application process. Potential candidates for Board positions shall apply by submitting resumes and letters of intent to the board. Board members are selected by a majority vote before the annual meeting of the Board (in June).
Send us an email at SanDiegoEMP@gmail.com if you’d like to learn more!
San Diego EMP 