Open to opportunities

Elizabeth DeBord

@elizabethdebord

Executive Director who builds community-centered museum experiences through curatorial leadership and digital storytelling.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can lead museum or cultural-heritage work end-to-end—operations, exhibits/collections, and digital storytelling—with strong community impact, growth through collaboration, and room to innovate with tools like WordPress/Divi and PastPerfect.

I’m an Executive Director with a B.A. in Public History and Art History Online Minor, and I thrive at the intersection of museum operations, curatorial work, and community connection. At Hopewell Museum, I run daily operating tasks like bill-paying, memberships, and opening/closing, while also leading exhibit development through narrative writing, research, installation, layout design, marketing, and object selection.

I coordinate docents and volunteers, support collections reorganization, track membership numbers and retention, and plan and budget for museum events—then run “post-mortems” to improve outcomes. Alongside this, I bring strong digital skills from work as a Contract Web Content Strategist using WordPress and Divi Website Builder and leading training around SEO; plus curatorial contract experience with PastPerfect, condition-reporting, photography, and database reorganization.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Executive Director

Current

Hopewell Museum

Mar 2025 - Present (1 year 3 months)

Manage daily museum operations including memberships, bill-paying, and opening/closing. Lead exhibit development and community outreach, including volunteer coordination, event planning, educational programming, and museum marketing via social media and print materials.

Museum Operations Narrative Writing Volunteer coordination PastPerfect Membership Management Social Media Management Educational Programming

Curatorial Assistant

International Museum of the Horse

Jan 2024 - Jan 2025 (1 year)

Supported collections reorganization by converting physical files to a digital database and using PastPerfect to update objects, libraries, and accession catalogs. Completed condition reporting and photography, applied collection guidelines for deaccession, and trained coworkers working through water and mold-damaged materials.

Collections Management PastPerfect Digitalization Condition Reporting Provenance Research File Organization Deaccessioning Collections Photography

Web Content Strategist

Eastern Kentucky University

Jun 2023 - Jan 2024 (7 months)

Collaborated with clients and strategists to complete a website migration by building pages in WordPress/Divi and troubleshooting issues. Led training for department heads and interns on using the new site system and applying SEO strategies to increase traffic to university pages.

Website Migration WordPress Divi SEO Strategy Training Facilitation client support

Scanning Technician

Kenney Business Solutions

Jul 2022 - May 2023 (10 months)

Performed high-volume database entry and scanning/digitization of confidential court HR records for a nationwide HR system. Managed HR file filing and re-indexing using an archival program and obtained federal security clearance to handle classified documents.

HR File Indexing Scanning Workflows Confidential Record Handling Archival Program Use Document Management Team File Import

Museum Operations Associate

National Children’s Museum

Nov 2021 - Jun 2022 (7 months)

Delivered visitor-focused customer service and served as the primary contact for members, promoting and selling membership levels to increase total membership. Managed ticket sales and inventory/budget tracking using Patron Manager and Shopify, supported exhibit upkeep, and upheld COVID-19 and other safety protocols.

Customer Service Membership Sales Ticketing Systems Shopify Inventory Management Safety Compliance Event Staffing

Receptionist

Bourbon Heights Inc.

Dec 2019 - May 2021 (1 year 5 months)

Provided phone and front-desk support for residents and families while supporting administrative needs for department heads and nurses. Managed patient record archiving and indexing, assisted with office inventory recording, and supported operations under COVID-19 restrictions.

Customer Service Records Management Indexing Patient File Handling Administrative Support Front Desk Operations COVID 19 Safety Support Interpersonal Communication

Graphic Designer

The Ciceronian Student Journal

Aug 2019 - May 2021 (1 year 9 months)

Supervised end-to-end journal design and layout under tight time and resource constraints. Used Adobe InDesign to produce academic layouts and collaborated with editors to fact-check submissions for grammar, citations, and legibility, approving or rejecting articles based on editorial standards.

adobe indesign Editorial Review Fact Checking Team Collaboration Design production

Museum Intern

Hopewell Museum

Sep 2016 - Jul 2018 (1 year 10 months)

Digitized and reconciled a backlog of collections records in PastPerfect and supported physical collections processing. Assisted with photographing, labeling, cataloging, and condition reporting, and contributed to daily cleaning and exhibit/docent-related museum operations.

PastPerfect Digital Collections Collections Photography Condition Reporting Docent Support Museum Operations