Brian Levine
Manager of Youth Programs, American Museum of Natural History
Host/Producer, Astronomy on Tap NYC
Statement of Interest:
As an informal/museum educator for the past 15, I have seen the importance of advocacy many times. Having this group of peers who stand together, who respond to events that shape our lives, and who provide networking and professional development opportunities, makes our big city feel much more personal. It means we have a voice in many more conversations than we would individually. And being a part of NYCMER has been integral in my career. It is easy to get locked into a subject area – in my case, teen STEM programming – without considering how this work connects to others. I would like to continue to meet and form new collaborations in my own work, and to advance the local museum and informal education community. I bring a wealth of experience from being VP and being on the conference committee and would like to extend into other areas of NYCMER’s offerings.
Goals for NYCMER:
The pandemic has made NYCMER more visible and more important to our members. As a Trustee at Large, I would like to explore opportunities to expand our reach – to publish, to present about our work, to build our membership in new ways, and to increase our visibility in and beyond New York City. There are opportunities to ally ourselves with similar organizations, and to make ourselves heard in the national conversations around topics we hold dear such as DEI, advocacy, salary transparency, and others, and I would like to be a part of that.
Professional Experience:
I hold a BS in Astrophysics and MS in the Free-Choice Learning style of Science Education, with minor research and publication experience in each. I started as a middle school teacher. For 15 years at AMNH, I have been an educator, program manager, and planetarium presenter with lots of experience thinking long term. With NYCMER, prior to being VP, I was on the conference committee and in the managers peer group. I have also hosted, produced, and/or presented at over 100 science-related events, and have presented at conferences and meetings including NYCMER, ASTC, NSTA, ECSITE, NISENET, and NYSOEA.