The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture is a 501©3 tax-exempt, non-profit corporation established to restore the historic Peale Museum building as a center to celebrate the unique history of Baltimore, its people and their buildings. The Peale Center began as Friends of the Peale in 2008. In June 2012, the Friends of the Peale and the Baltimore History Center at the Peale, a Maryland non-profit corporation formed by Judge John Carroll Byrnes, joined forces as The Peale Center for Baltimore History and Architecture.
Today, we are an organization that thrives on the support and expertise of many people, including paid staff and volunteers. Our team is passionate about Baltimore, its history, and sharing the stories of diverse communities. There are many others who may not be listed here, though they make important contributions to our program!
Contact us: General inquiries: info@old.thepealecenter.org
The Peale Team
(Listed in Alphabetical Order of Last Name)
Daisy Brown, Visitor Services Manager and Staff Photographer
Daisy Brown is a native Baltimorean who grew up in the Sandtown–Winchester community. She is the leading voice and creator of the “Stoop Shoots” series, an audio-visual diary about life in Baltimore in the era of COVID-19. Her hope is to change the narrative of the city and see it go from trauma to triumph. The love of photography happened innocently thanks to her mom, who documented the life of her family and milestones. Bitten by the shutter bug since the 4th grade, Daisy is self-taught and excited about capturing what her heart sees. Daisy can be seen in various parts of Baltimore, interviewing people at a safe distance for her weekly program and storytelling projects for the Peale. Daisy has a knack for bringing out the best in people and enjoys documenting the people and places of Charm City with the aim of eventually taking this around the world.
Adam Droneburg, Programs and Exhibitions Manager
Originally from Frederick, Maryland, Adam moved to Baltimore in 2014 to pursue his undergraduate degree in American Studies at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During that time, he was a part of the Baltimore Traces: Communities in Transition project. This work allowed him to learn more about the communities of Baltimore and how to share the stories of their residents with others. He has also contributed to several Baltimore podcasts and public radio programs, including The Signal, Midday, and Out of the Blocks. Adam received his MFA in Intermedia Digital Arts in 2022 and continues his art practice creating wearable art.
Mama Linda Goss, Storyteller-in-Residence
Mama Linda Goss is the Peale’s storyteller-in-residence, as well as a performer in the African diasporic oral tradition and an NEA National Heritage Fellow. She is a co-founder of the National Association of Black Storytellers, which works to preserve folk traditions. Goss has written seven books, among them Talk That Talk: An Anthology of African-American Storytelling with co-author Marian E. Barnes and with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. She has two albums of storytelling with Smithsonian Folkways. Every month, Mama Linda shares a poem with the Peale, as part of her collection of stories, “Mama Linda’s Chapbook,” and contributes advice and mentorship as well as stories to the Peale’s storytelling programs.
Krista D. Green, Chief Administrative Officer
Krista is a professional administrator, focusing on the intersection of culture and community development in the City of Baltimore. With more than 15 years’ experience at cultural organizations small and large throughout the city, her current affiliations include: Chief Administrative Officer, the Peale, and Director, Mount Clare Museum, an historic house, and plantation site in Baltimore City. With new interpretation, this site aims to tell an inclusive story of life and labor in Colonial Baltimore. Krista is President of the Board of Directors for Baltimore Heritage, Inc., the historic preservation organization of Baltimore City, and Trustee of Awesome Foundation – Baltimore, supporting grassroots initiatives through micro grants. Ms. Green holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. A Baltimore city native, she calls the historic Mount Vernon neighborhood home.
Jeffrey Kent, Artistic Director and Chief Curator
In addition to his art practice, Jeffrey Kent is the founder of Subbasement Artist Studios (2004-2014), an alternative art space in Baltimore; co-owner/founder of art and decor retail space, Unexpected Art Space (2013-2016); and co-founder of Connect+Collect (2018 – current), an initiative designed to create awareness and momentum among new and experienced collectors, provide professional development to Baltimore-based artists, and promote a culture of collecting in Baltimore. Kent provides collecting and curatorial services for private and corporate collectors and mentors apprentices and artists through his LLC, Accomplished Art Services. His artworks are in the collections of FTI Consulting Inc., Hilton Hotels and Resorts, National Academy of Sciences, Reginald F. Lewis Museum, Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, among others.
Robin Marquis, Chief Operations Officer and Accessibility Manager
Robin Marquis (they/them) is a disabled artist and organizer with over a decade of experience leading community-based initiatives and programming centering diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. They specialize in supporting cultural organizations with training and implementation strategies for making spaces accessible for and inclusive of people with disabilities. As the COO at the Peale, they focus on redefining museums’ role in society by democratizing access to space, knowledge, and the historical narrative. Robin is also the Cultural Access and Inclusion Specialist with Prime Access Consulting, an inclusive design firm operating in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. Robin believes that engaging disabled artists, communities, and organizers results in innovative solutions and cultural programming that centers joy, creativity, and empathy.
Nancy Proctor, Chief Strategy Officer
Nancy Proctor, Ph.D. is Chief Strategy Officer and founding director of the Peale. From 2012-2020, Nancy was also Co-chair of the international MuseWeb (formerly Museums and the Web) Conferences, and edited its annual proceedings. Previously, she served as Deputy Director of Digital Experience and Communications at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2014-2016), Head of Mobile Strategy and Initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution (2010-2014), and Head of New Media Initiatives at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum (2008-2010). With a PhD in American art history and a background in filmmaking, curation and feminist theory and criticism in the arts, Nancy lectures and publishes widely on technology and innovation in museums, in French and Italian as well as English.
Chrys Seawood, Community Learning and Engagement Manager
Chrys Seawood is an artist and educator. Her work inside and outside of the classroom center the experiences of Black lives. She is a native of Forrest City, Arkansas, and has taught at the high school level in both Forrest City and Washington, D.C. With this perspective and experience, Chrys is a founding member of Amateka College Prep (coming 2024) in Washington, D.C., and a collaborating author for “Teaching Language Variation in the Classroom” (2019).
Heather Shelton, Digital Curator and Registrar
Heather Shelton is the Peale’s digital curator, registrar, and communications specialist, focusing on the Peale’s online presence and its growing collection of Baltimore stories. She has undergraduate degrees in Art History and English Literature from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Art History from Virginia Commonwealth University. With more than 25 years of museum and archives experience, Heather has held positions in virtually every department–from curation and collections care to public relations and education. From 2004-2006, she worked exclusively in print, writing and editing exhibition scripts and educational materials at the Smithsonian, but in 2006, with the advent of Facebook and social media, she transitioned almost entirely to the web, becoming the leading digital voice of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. Today, Heather works with the Peale and other innovative cultural organizations, like the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street program, to provide structure and meaning to a sea of digital content.
Maya Wilson, Social Media Specialist
Maya Wilson, a Baltimore native, has a degree in political science from the University of Pittsburgh, with specializations in Africana studies and theater arts. Her work in these disciplines allows her to combine her passion for social justice with an interest in community organizing and engaging inner-city youth in the social and political process. Maya has previously taught middle school social studies and currently teaches 9th and 11th grade Humanities for Baltimore City Public Schools, working with general and special education students. She has worked as an Urban Ranger with the Baltimore National Heritage Area, as well as with the Edgar Allen Poe Museum and Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in Baltimore. Maya is an avid social media user and thrives on creating interest around the topics and places she loves, particularly current events and the history and culture of the African Diaspora.