Welcome to wittwering.com! Part portfolio and part brain dump, this site should give you a pretty good idea of who you're about to hire. I am a graduate of the renowned Disney Guest Service training program and have worked in cultural and tourist attractions for over 20 years including stints as the director of the Elfreth’s Alley Museum, the manager of Visitor Services at Please Touch Museum, and several other stops along the East Coast. I'm a fan of traveling, photography, live music and theater, rooting for the underdog, karaoke, camping, playing ukulele, and I am very likely the biggest Muppet fan you will ever meet.
Working in the museum field is a crash course in everything. A career in this field requires deftly adapting to new situations, taking on a variety of projects that span departments, managing people and tasks in all directions, and doing it all with little to no budget. This is why every museum job description includes the caveat of "other duties as assigned." While perusing through my portfolio or my LinkedIn page will give you an idea of some of the expertise I have gained over the years, here's a fun list of some of those other duties that have popped up in my 20+ year career:
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Sweeping leaves off the roof of a row of 18th Century homes at Elfreth's Alley
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Planning and executing a fashion runway show at the Painted Bride Art Center
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Cleaning up after the horses pulling a Wells Fargo Stagecoach during a Cinco de Mayo celebration in San Diego
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Supervising television production in and around a historic site
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Closing one museum and opening two museums in just under four years
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Running into a burning building to evacuate folks who assumed a false alarm
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Designing 12 collectible coins, having them minted, and distributing them across the country
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Throwing an impromptu prom for a science summer camp
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Performing live improvisational science demonstrations dressed as Santa Claus
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Hosting a burlesque performance in a science museum
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Riding a Segway with a live snake on my neck
To see how I've sold my labor throughout the years, check out my LinkedIn page.
Read my Philly Love Note to the Schuylkill RIver Trail.
In my work I strive for improvement in diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion, transparency, and environmental initiatives and it is important that any organization I work for share these values.
