Learn more about the board below:

Akash Sharma is an experienced STEM educator and museum professional who currently works at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI). Akash has been working at NYSCI since early 2010 and has been involved with Science Career Ladder, a youth development educational program focused on New York City youth.

Akash has been with NYCMER since 2014, starting as a member of the Conference Committee for two years. He now serves on NYCMER Board of Trustees and as the Website Coordinator. 

Akash is also a photographer and a tech enthusiast. You can connect with him on LinkedIn

Erin studied Museum Education and Museum Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle. With her MA and passion for accessibility, Erin has worked at Intrepid and the Museum of the City of New York. She has experience in art history, music history, STEM education and has worked on both West and East coast at institutions with Concordes and Blackbird jets. In addition to teaching, Erin loves to plan programs, work on accessibility initiaties, and collect data. 

Charlotte Martin serves as President on the NYCMER Board of Trustees. She has worked as an educator at museums around New York City and Washington, DC for several years, and is currently Senior Manager of Access Initiatives at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. In this role, she works with visitors with disabilities, striving to help empower them--as with all audiences--as learners. She has previously worked in education at the Queens Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, National Gallery of Art, Museum of the Moving Image, and Children's Museum of Manhattan. Charlotte has an M.A.T. in Museum Education from The George Washington University and a B.A. in the History of Art from Yale University. She previously served on the NYCMER board as Trustee-at-Large (2016-2018), Secretary & Peer Group Liaison (2014-2016), and intern (2013-2014).

Kira Lacks is the Assistant Director of College Events at Teachers College, Columbia University. Previously, she was the Public Programs Manager at the American Museum of Natural History. Kira has over ten years of program experience producing educational activities for the visiting public in order to highlight temporary exhibitions, enhance community access and increase visitorship. Her focus is on content development of public events with particular expertise in logistical and operational planning. 

Kira holds a B.A. in Art History and Education Studies from Brandeis University, and a M.P.S. in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute. She has served as the NYCMER Vice President, and is the current Treasurer.

Leigh Wells is a Kentucky native committed to advocating for arts and social justice education. Leigh earned her BFA in Photography and BA in Literature & Writing from Northern Kentucky University and received an MFA in Photography, Video, and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts. Leigh is passionate about the potential, value, and long-term impact of art-making, critical viewing, and intersectional thinking as tools for shared understanding and re-envisioning. She has been working in education since 2006 when she began her service as a classroom teacher and counterpart with Peace Corps Mongolia.

Leigh's work in arts education and non-profit administration have been centered in NYC including work with the Queens Museum, Museum of Arts & Design, PROOF: Media for Social Justice, and seven years with Museum of the Moving Image. She is currently Deputy Director of Programs and Operations at Community-Word Project and serves on the board of NYCMER.

Museum Educator at the Intrepid Air, Sea, & Space Museum, Tenement Museum, and New-York Historical Society. 

Sarah leads the environmental education team at the new Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn. She also serves on the NYCMER Board and is an educational consultant, focused on curriculum development and education management systems. Specifically, she supports adult-child conversations, both in and out of the classroom.

She has previously worked at the American Museum of Natural History, the Queens Zoo (part of the Wildlife Conservation Society), the Montezuma Audubon Center, Beaver Lake Nature Center, Alley Pond Environmental Center, and AmeriCorps NCCC.

She earned a Master of Professional Studies in Environmental Education and Interpretation from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Math Education from CUNY Queens College.

Sierra's exposure to the arts began in the womb with the carefully selected playlists of her parents hoping to awaken the creative nature of their child. Since then, she has aspired to be a vet, biomedical illustrator, astronaut, and graphic designer before finding her "just right" match in museum education. 

A proud alumna of Seton Hall University (B.A in Graphic Design, Fine Art and Art History) and Bank Street College of Education (M.S.Ed in Museum Education with a specialization in Childhood Education), Sierra explores the intersections of art, design, history, and play in her work as the Education Programs Manager at Poster House. You can often find her covered in glue and some form of marker, paint or glitter, surrounded by children or in a gallery, in the midst of a tableau. 

She is the current Secretary and Peer Group Liaison for the NYCMER Board.

I'm the leader for the English Language Learners and Cultural Diversity Peer Group. I work as an educator at the Museum of Chinese in America, and have most recently been developing ELL/multilingual-friendly programs there. I'm interested in working with other institutions, particularly those working to create new programs for language-learning audiences and nontraditional groups such as homeschoolers. I have a BA in History and an MA from Cornell in East Asian Studies, focusing on Chinese art. Prior to working in museums, I spent six years in Taiwan and South Korea as a teacher of English, and have continued to work in language instruction since I've returned to the US.