Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky has been the executive director of the New Haven Museum since February 2012. A professional with 30 years of experience in all aspects of museums, she previously worked as consultant/interim director for Bayside Historical Society, in Queens, NY, and for Queens Botanical Garden, first as director of marketing and communications and then as a consultant on earned revenue programs associated with the planning and opening of a platinum LEED certified building.
During her term at New Haven Museum, Ms. Tockarshewsky has transitioned the 160-year-old institution’s focus to become that of a vibrant, 21st-century center for exploration of the full range of diverse people, places, cultures, and ideas that shape and define the Elm City.
By elevating the stories and voices of women and historically underrepresented communities and making collections, public programs, education, outreach, and research more accessible, Ms. Tockarshewsky and her staff actively model the museum to eliminate barriers to participation and learning, and open dialogues with community residents for greater collaboration and increased representation in the museum’s collection.
While at the Queen’s Botanical Garden, Ms. Tockarshewsky cultivated support from a broad and diverse constituency, developed multilingual programs and services for visitors, and fostered partnerships between the garden and community groups. She also oversaw strategic planning, conducted institutional self-studies, directed visitor studies, and partnered with consultants on plans for institutional growth.
Ms. Tockarshewsky began her career as a museum publicist, overseeing public relations, marketing, and publications for the Lehigh County Historical Society in Allentown, PA, The Hudson River Museum, in Yonkers, NY, and the Neuberger Museum, State University of New York at Purchase. She also worked in the stateside development office of the American Center in Paris during the capital campaign for a new multidisciplinary headquarters designed by Frank Gehry.
Ms. Tockarshewsky holds a graduate degree in historic preservation from Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in communication arts from Cornell University. She is an alumna of the Museum Management Institute of the Getty Leadership Institute and attended the Attingham Summer School in Great Britain as the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Scholar in 2006.