Constructing Curriculum with the Smithsonian

Ashley Naranjo, MEd
Manager of Educator Engagement, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, Washington, DC

In 2011, Ashley Naranjo joined the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access as a museum educator, specializing in the use of digital museum resources, where she develops and implements professional development opportunities for teachers, librarians, and other museum educators. Earlier, she had experience in education in both formal and informal learning spaces—as an ESOL instructor for adults, a middle school substitute teacher in the humanities, and a summer programs administrator at an independent school. She holds a BA in Human Development (Developmental Psychology) from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, where she was a research assistant and independent study student in the Laboratory of Thinking, Learning & Cognition in the Arts. She has a MEd in Learning Design and Technology from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. She is a recent graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute’s NextGen of Museum Leaders program.

Briana Zavadil White, MAT
Student and Teacher Programs Manager, National Portrait Gallery

Briana Zavadi White oversees the National Portrait Gallery’s student and teacher programs. She creates and manages in-Gallery student programs as well as leads outreach efforts into local Washington, DC-area schools. Inquiry and object-based learning provide the foundation for the student programs at the museum, which are facilitated by a corps of gallery educators. Briana designs and facilitates teacher workshops—including the museum's summer teacher institutes—develops lesson plans and teacher resource guides, and manages the museum’s Teacher Advisory Board. The Gallery’s professional development workshops start with the premise that by reading portraiture, teachers can springboard into rich conversations about biography and history with their students. By modeling close looking strategies and activity ideas, Briana offers ways to integrate portraiture into the classroom. She holds a BA in psychology, with a minor in art history, from the University of Virginia, and a MAT, with a concentration in museum education from the George Washington University.

Candra Flanagan, MEd
Teaching & Learning Coordinator, NMAAHC

Candra Flanagan joined the National Museum of African American History and Culture in January 2009. Passionate about the intersection between formal and informal learning as well as cultivating and encouraging life-long learning in educators, Candra is the coordinator for Student and Teacher Initiatives. In this current role, she develops and implements various events to assist educators incorporating African American history in their classroom; researches and creates educational publications for use by the general public and educators; and strategizes the role of the museum in the professional development of educators.