Global Collaborations

Tom Rockwell is Creative Director at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s museum of science, art, and human perception. Since joining the Exploratorium in 2005, Tom has led the exhibits and media departments, the development of new galleries for the museum's move to the waterfront in 2013, as well as the Geometry Playground exhibition and other National Science Foundation supported projects. His interests include exhibiting the human sciences, mathematics, and fundamental physical phenomena, as well as exploring the relationship between science, art, and religion. Prior to coming to San Francisco, Tom founded and ran Painted Universe, Inc. where projects included exhibitions such as It’s a Nano World, The Enchanted Museum: Exploring the Science of Art, and illustrations for The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene.

Silva Raker has successfully grown vibrant, mission-based enterprise for nonprofits, specialty retail, and travel. After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in zoology, Silva spent ten years developing proprietary products, innovative programs, and fruitful partnerships for The Nature Company. More recently, as the COO and leading strategist for Backroads, she managed a complex global operation. Since joining the Exploratorium in 2010, Silva and the Global Collaborations team have been working with diverse partners around the world to build capacity and create phenomenal, inquiry-based experiences.

Anne Richardson collaborates with Global Collaborations’ partners to develop cultures of learning that align with their organizational and community goals and values. Her areas of focus include educational programming, professional development, and institutional learning. During her tenure at the Exploratorium, Anne directed the Field Trip Explainer Program and Member Education Programs. She also launched and directed Helix, a one-year, experimental community-science center. In her early career, she developed and implemented science-and-art learning experiences at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Department of Environment, Mass Audubon, and the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Anne holds a PhD and an MS in environmental studies from Antioch University New England, and a BA in art history from Northwestern University.

Shawn Lani is a practicing artist, educator, and curator dedicated to engaging people in public spaces. Over the last 20 years, he has created interactive installations for more than 50 national and international museums and public settings. He currently holds a senior position at the Exploratorium, where he founded the Studio for Public Spaces and directs the studio in its work, generating new ways to apply the Exploratorium’s inquiry-based learning theories to a wide range of public landscapes. Shawn is the recipient of a National AIA award and was the Principal Investigator on the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-funded project Ciencia Pública: Agua. In this initiative, the Exploratorium collaborated with a San Francisco Boys & Girls Club to teach design skills to students as they created a parklet in the city’s Mission district. Shawn received his BA in English (Creative Writing) and Art History from Davis in 1992, and his MA in Museum Studies—specializing in educational design—from JFK University in 1995.

Mike Flaherty came to Global Collaborations with extensive management experience in the for-profit sector, fostering growth through strategic support and organizational direction in large and small firms. Most recently, as Business Manager at Juniper Ridge, he supported the fledgling company’s position as a leader in the natural aromatherapy field. Prior to that, he spearheaded several product initiatives as Regional Manager of Backroads, one of the world’s largest active travel companies. Mike is driven by a philosophy centering on cultivated experiences, exceeding client expectations, and finding meaningful connections through every step of a project to guarantee innovative and memorable results. In close connection with the Senior Business Director, he plays a key leadership role for the direction and management of the Exploratorium Global Collaborations team, overseeing a dynamic portfolio of projects. Mike has a BA in English literature from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Sylvia Algire joined the Exploratorium fourteen years ago as an educator. More recently, she led the professional development of our team of educators who work directly with the students visiting on school field trips and supports teachers in creating experiences that inspire students to explore the world around them. Currently, she collaborates with our partner organizations to develop programs and professional development experiences for staff. Sylvia holds a BA in art education from San Francisco State University where she studied interactive conceptual arts. Before joining the Exploratorium, Sylvia worked in afterschool environmental and arts education programs.

An experienced project and technical director for exhibitions, Chris Dang has worked with Exploratorium partners around the world for more than ten years. He’s led and participated in all project stages from concept development and design through fabrication, installation, and training. In addition to his project leadership skills, Chris brings deep technical expertise and has worked closely with third party fabricators of Exploratorium exhibits. He recently spent two years as the Field Director for CyArk, a nonprofit that uses innovative technology to digitally preserve world heritage sites. In this role, he developed advanced reality capture techniques to document cultural sites, then used the data to create VR experiences and architectural drawings. Chris holds degrees in physics and astrophysics from the University of California at Berkeley.

Allyson Feeney is a creative project manager and detail-oriented archivist. She coordinates many aspects of the department's domestic and international work. Before joining the Global Collaborations team in 2013, Allyson honed her collaboration and organizational skills by wrangling a variety of artists, archives, and exhibitions across the United States—from New York to California to Texas. She is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound with a BA in art history and chemistry and holds an MA in museum studies from New York University.    

Owen Lawrence's project management expertise combines his background designing interactive experiences, consulting on environmental issues, and being an entrepreneur. Owen joined the Exploratorium in 2011 to oversee the refurbishment of more than 500 exhibits prior to the museum's reopening at Pier 15 in 2013. He also led the design, exhibit development, and installation for Bechtel Gallery 3. After successfully completing these major projects, Owen became the Exploratorium's Exhibit Collections and Maintenance Manager, and later the Environment Program Manager, helping to advance the museum's environmental science programs. Prior to joining the Exploratorium, Owen worked as an environmental and sustainability consultant for corporate and government clients. He holds a BS in environmental science from Michigan State University and an MBA in sustainable enterprise from Dominican University.

Marcus Ante has managed the co-development, implementation, and administration of programs with Exploratorium partners worldwide. Marcus first came to the Exploratorium in 2004 as a High School Explainer and then worked in various related roles, primarily as a Field Trip Explainer. He was very involved in the earliest prototyping of new Explainer-led experiences in preparation for our move to the Piers. Marcus joined the Public Programs team in 2009 and has managed, developed, and executed numerous programs that catered to family audiences, adult audiences, Exploratorium members, and diverse community groups. He has played a key role in the growth and development of the Exploratorium’s After Dark program and has extensive experience producing small-scale to museum-wide events and festivals.

Dana Goldberg joined Global Collaborations in 2017 with expertise in leading teams, projects, and strategy in the areas of content creation and organizational storytelling. Before transitioning to the museum field, she was the Executive Editor at an award-winning nonprofit publisher dedicated to promoting cultural equity and inclusion in children’s literature. In 2012 she became the Exploratorium’s Managing Editor, and also produced educational content for the museum’s Institute for Research and Learning. In Global Collaborations, Dana has helped lead projects involving outdoor public installations by the museum's Studio for Public Spaces. She received her BA in comparative literature from Brown University.

Having served in various roles at the Exploratorium since 2007, Danilo Markov has a deep understanding of the institution’s mission and the versatility that is so essential for taking on the wide-ranging needs of Global Collaborations’ projects. He is the first line of contact for most Global Collaborations inquiries, and coordinates many aspects of the department’s domestic and international work. Recent projects include coordinating Global Collaborations’ Helix Community Science Center in Los Altos, overseeing the refurbishment of several fleets of exhibits, and providing administrative support for the Field Trip Explainer program. Danilo has a BA in linguistics and geography from UC Berkeley.

Jonah Most brings a passion for education and an eye for interactivity to every exhibit he works on. Prior to joining the Exploratorium, he was the Director of Exhibit Development for West Office Exhibition Design, where he led creative teams in projects that ranged in theme from the space race to women’s history in California. He came to exhibit design through journalism, realizing that he wanted to tell stories not just in words but also through experiences, media, and artifacts. Having traveled and studied on five continents, Jonah has global interests. He shares with the museum a belief that curiosity and experimentation happen everywhere and that building exhibits is a great way to create connections that cross borders. Jonah has a BA in American studies studies and Middle Eastern studies studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Following several informative years working in the environmental education nonprofit sphere, Gianna Callisto came to realize the immense importance of hands-on science learning, particularly within communities without wide access to STEM experiences. Gianna supports project management, deliverable documentation, logistics, and content research for multiple Global Collaborations projects and is thrilled to assist the team in sharing and advancing innovative learning practices with partners around the globe. Gianna received a BA in environmental studies and political science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Having worked in the museum field for fourteen years, Leslie Evens has led volunteer programs with more than 250 individuals, coordinated art education programs statewide in Utah, and most recently managed logistics for large-scale events held at the Exploratorium for clients such as Google, Disney, Microsoft, and other major Bay Area companies. Now, as a part of the Global Collaborations team, Leslie supports the project management, logistics, research, and documentation for projects with global partners. She holds an MA in museum studies with an emphasis on visitor experience and education, as well as an MBA.

With over fifteen years in the field of international and arts education, Jill Tolfa has extensive experience in creating partnerships and enjoys connecting people and projects across communities. She is dedicated to promoting awareness and intercultural responsiveness that supports shared experiences to foster a more empathic and peaceful world. Jill completed an International Baccalaureate Diploma from the United World College of the Adriatic, a BA in comparative literary studies from Northwestern University, and an MA in international and multicultural education from the University of San Francisco.