WHO WE ARE

Susie Wilkening

Susie Wilkening (she/her) has over 25 years of experience in museums, including nearly 20 years leading custom projects for museums as well as fielding groundbreaking national research on the role of museums in American society.

As principal of Wilkening Consulting, she provides research leadership for the Annual Survey of Museum-Goers, She is the primary author of most of the infographics Data Stories, which share research findings with the museum field. Additionally, she is the author of Audiences and Inclusion: A Primer for Cultivating More Inclusive Attitudes Among the Public and is the primary author of Life Stages of the Museum Visitor.

Susie is a go-to expert on museums for the media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, NPR, and others.

Susie earned a BS in History, Technology, and Society from Georgia Tech and an MA from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware. She resides in Seattle, and her husband and curious children often accompany her as she travels to various museums and historic sites.

Email Susie here!

Jessica Strube

Senior Research and Project Manager

Jessica Strube (she/her) is an archival, curation and content professional with more than a decade of experience in local and statewide museums. Her award-winning exhibitions and projects have focused on collaboration, interpretation and storytelling that explores themes that are central to human experiences and connections.

Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Northern Illinois University. She resides in Tennessee with her husband and son. Their inquisitive dispositions guide them on adventures exploring nature and cultural institutions in small and large spaces.

Email Jessica here!

Noël Koehn
Senior Consultant

Throughout her career, Noël Koehn (she/her) has invested her energies into museum research, analysis, and consulting. Advocating for creative problem solving and resourcefulness, Noël has helped numerous museum leaders focus their storytelling goals, improve outreach, and channel institutional enthusiasm toward marketable, community-relevant interpretive products and programs.

Though a Virginia native, Noël grew up in Texas and earned a BFA in Studio Art and an MA in Public History from Texas State University. In 2019, she completed a PhD in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University. She now lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, and their yorkiepoo Little Amy Dorrit. She enjoys working on their historic house, mudlarking in nearby waterways, and making paintings.

Email Noël here!

Diamond Alexander

Associate Research Data Librarian

Diamond Alexander (she/her) utilizes a multi-disciplinary skillset at Wilkening Consulting, focusing her energies on user research, data exploration, and digital technologies. A librarian to her core, she is passionate about facilitating equitable access to information and emphasizing the human side of data. Her experience working with historical materials data means she is always looking for innovative ways to connect the computational with the cultural.

Before earning her MLIS from the University of Denver, Diamond earned an MA in Strategic Communication Design from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and worked for several years as a Web and UX Designer. When not following her data-focused curiosities, she can usually be found baking, coding, doing fiber arts, reading, and of course, visiting the many cultural heritage institutions in her Southern California hometown.

Erika Kaszczyszyn

Graphic Designer

Erika Kaszczyszyn (kuh-stay-shen; she/her) is a graphic designer who has been working with a wide variety of clients for over 20 years. Hailing from Chicago, she earned her BFA from Columbia College Chicago and shortly after, moved westward. She has resided in multiple areas and currently enjoys Boise, Idaho.

Erika specializes in print and print production, with her interest in illustration, information design, and storytelling formats finding a much appreciated home with Wilkening Consulting. When not designing, Erika loves to cook, craft, garden and mountain bike (or anything else outdoors!). You can find a small sampling of her work, and also contact Erika about your own graphic needs, at http://longnamedgirl.com

Johnny

Independent Consultant

Johnny Strube, as an Independent Consultant, helps with important special projects, such as tracking high winds and storms, or analyzing treats per hour ratios. He’s usually working quietly in the background, but a wagging tail may appear when his special projects are near.

Goldie

Director of Security

Goldie Wilkening, as Director of Security, always lets us know when someone is visiting … or just walking by on the sidewalk. She Zoom-bombs regularly because of her habit of vigorous scratching.

Jupiter North

Director of Distraction

As Director of Distraction, Jupiter North Wilkening is an emphatic fan of paws-on activities (including things that squeak and bounce). He can sometimes be seen orbiting Susie while she works, boosting morale during long Zoom calls. While it is unclear if he can see Wunder, he does find the world a wonderful place.