Staff Directory
Catherine Hughes, Ph.D.
Executive Director
chughes@morrisjumel.org
Prior to moving to New York City and taking this position at the Morris-Jumel Mansion, Catherine was the ED for the Howard County Historical Society in Kokomo, Indiana. Before that, Catherine was Director of Interpretation at Conner Prairie in Indiana, which is a large living history site. She loved lived in Atlanta, GA while working at the Atlanta History Center. Catherine has a PhD from the Ohio State University in Education with a theatre focus, and is the author of Museum Theatre: Communicating with Visitors Through Drama. She founded the International Museum Theatre Alliance (IMTAL), a networking organization. Catherine is originally from Boston and began her career at the Museum of Science, Boston.
Danielle Gaita
Public Programs & Visitor Services Manager
dgaita@morrisjumel.org
As a New Jersian who has spent the past few years in Washington, DC, Danielle feels extremely lucky to be back in the area she grew up in and working in a historic house with such rich history. With an educational background in Anthropology from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, she brings an approach that emphasizes culture and humans, both then and now, to museum spaces. While in the DC-Metro area, Danielle worked in places such as the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, and most recently, the new Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum, where she helped in various stages of the opening of the museum. Danielle brings mixed experience in museum education, programming, and operations to the table, as well as passion for the field sparked by the unique ability museums have to teach anyone who comes in contact with them, no matter their background or learning style. When not exploring museums, Danielle can be found working through her “to be read” pile of books, trying new restaurants or recipes, and hanging out with her best friend – her dog Kody.
Caroline Siavichay
School and Community Programs Manager
siavichay@morrisjumel.org
Caroline is a museum professional who is passionate about the ways museum education can serve our communities. Previously, she worked in the exhibitions department of the National Museum of the American Indian while earning her Masters Degree in Exhibition and Experience Design from the Fashion Institute of Technology. While at FIT, she was the recipient of the Designing for Empathy Award from ONE Network. Before that, Caroline was a lead classroom educator for 6+ years and has had the privilege of teaching not only in NYC, but in elementary classrooms in Hanoi, Vietnam and Almería, Spain. She also holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University and has worked professionally as an actor, director and co-founder of a small theatre company in both Richmond, VA and Dublin, Ireland. Caroline has a passion for historic sites and loves working in a place that has such incredible stories to tell.
Presley Rodriguez
Administrative Coordinator
prodriguez@morrisjumel.org
Presley was born and raised in Queens, NY and has always loved history and museums. She received her BA in Archaeology from Boston University, and recently completed her MA in Art History at Hunter College. Her master’s thesis was about ceramics for the U.S. market in the 18th and 19th centuries. Presley’s favorite part of the Mansion is its multifaceted history because it is a strong reflection of the story of the United States.
