Foundation Administration and Staff

Rachel Flor, Executive Director

Rachel Day Flor

Rachel Flor was named Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation in October 2019. She oversees all operations of the Foundation, the non-profit partner and creative collaborator of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, which is administered by the United States National Archives and Records Administration. Rachel leads the Foundation staff in a wide range of initiatives that promote a greater appreciation of America’s political and cultural heritage, help people understand the major challenges facing democracy today, and inspire new generations to engage with the issues at the heart of contemporary life that relate to the legacy of President John F. Kennedy.

Prior to her appointment as Executive Director, Rachel served the Foundation for more than thirteen years in a variety of roles spanning all facets of the organization, including Deputy Director and Vice President of Communications and Digital Media. In those roles, she oversaw the Foundation’s renowned Profile in Courage Award and the New Frontier Awards; led the Foundation’s innovative, public facing outreach initiatives, including award-winning digital, social media, and advertising campaigns; and spearheaded nation-wide celebrations such as the Centennial of John F. Kennedy’s birth and the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing.

Rachel holds a M.A. in Modern English Literature from University College London and a B.A. in English Literature from George Washington University.

Foundation Senior Staff

Doris Drummond 
Chief Financial Officer  
Doris Drummond, C.P.A., is the Chief Financial Officer for the Kennedy Library Foundation. Prior to joining the staff in January 1997, Doris worked at Clean Harbors in Braintree, where she held various positions including manager of financial reporting and analysis, and manager of corporate accounting. She was previously employed at Aldrich, Eastman & Waltch as a team accountant (1989-1990) and spent five years with the big six accounting firm of Coopers & Lybrand (1984-1989). Doris is a graduate of Providence College.

Maura Hammer 
Vice President of Development 
Maura Hammer joined the Foundation in 2011, with responsibility overseeing individual, corporate, and foundation development efforts as well as board development activities. Working closely with the Board of Directors, Maura identifies and secures funding sources to advance the major initiatives of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, including Library forums, education programs, and special events. Prior to joining the Foundation staff, Maura spent six years at Community Rowing, Inc., where she led a $16 million capital campaign to build the first boathouse on the Charles River dedicated to public access. She has also held key development positions at several well-known Boston area nonprofits, including The Home for Little Wanderers and The West End House Boys & Girls Club. Maura is a graduate of Boston College.

Valerie Linson 
Vice President, Communications and External Affairs 
Valerie Linson joined the Foundation in 2021. Previously she served as the Director of Communications for Facing History and Ourselves where she built the media relations function to achieve a reach of 2.4 billion media mentions. Valerie has a long career in media production. She was the Executive Producer at WGBH Boston for the weekly television programs, Basic Black and Open Studio with Jared Bowen. Valerie has served as a producer and researcher on several award-winning and independent documentaries including: Inheritors of The Faith (part five of the series, This Far By Faith: African American Spiritual Journeys), On Our Own Terms: Moyers On Dying, Soldiers Without Swords: The Black Press, and The Kennedys (for PBS/The American Experience). Valerie is a graduate of Ohio University.

Foundation Staff

Cam Barta 
Individual Giving and Membership Manager 
Cam Barta joined the Foundation in January of 2022 and works to advance the Individual Giving programs. Her role includes overseeing the Foundation’s direct mail program, stewarding members and donors, and supporting the New Frontier Network and Victura Society initiatives. Prior to joining the Foundation, Cam spent six years in the Advancement Office at Gann Academy located in Waltham, MA. Most recently she served as Gann’s Advancement and Events Manager overseeing the Annual Fund and organizing Advancement and community events. Cam holds a degree from Simmons University where she majored in History and Arts Administration.

Marisa Bradley 
Associate Director of Awards and Special Programs 
Marisa Diaz joined the Foundation in May 2022. She is responsible for the stewardship and implementation of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards. She also supports the development and execution of initiatives and programs created to further the goals of the Foundation’s strategic plan. Before joining the Foundation Marisa led the strategy and planning for a variety of high-profile conferences, events, and awards ceremonies at Facing History and Ourselves, the American Bar Association, and for corporate clients at an events agency. She has experience working on Capitol Hill and holds a B.A. in Political Science from Northeastern University.

Margaret Hayden Bramley 
Director of Individual Giving and New Frontier Network 
Maggie joined the Foundation as a consultant in August 2018 and became Director of the New Frontier Network, which brings together individuals with no living memory of President Kennedy, in March 2019. She previously spent more than thirteen years at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where she led both the annual fund and annual leadership giving teams. Maggie received her bachelor’s degree in history from the College of the Holy Cross and master’s degree in higher education from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.

Emily Jennett Butler 
Associate Director of Donor Stewardship 
Emily Butler was delighted to join the Foundation staff in January 2013 after consulting to the Foundation in 2012. In this position, Emily is responsible for developing grant requests to local and national foundations and corporations, and helps with other writing projects as needed. Before joining the Foundation, she worked for 14 years at Community Rowing, Inc., where she helped launch a rowing program for urban girls and designed a $16 million capital campaign to build a new boathouse on the Charles River. Emily was instrumental in securing several seven-figure gifts to the campaign, including a $1 million grant from a local foundation. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and holds a Ed.M. from Harvard University.

Amy Forman 
Consultant - Museum Exhibits and Collections  
Amy Forman is an exhibition and interior designer who has advised the Library and Foundation since 1989. Projects include the redesign of the new museum, which opened in 1993, the exhibits on Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the ongoing redesign of permanent and changing exhibits in the museum, as well as the design of the administrative offices, research room and café. Amy was the design consultant representing the Library and Foundation for the exhibition "Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years -- Selections from the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum," jointly produced by the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Prior to moving to the United States from Toronto, Amy designed and coordinated major exhibitions for the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario. Her design for "Treasures of the Holy Land, Ancient Art from the Israel Museum" at the Royal Ontario Museum was published in Print Casebook 8: The Best in Exhibition Design. Amy is a graduate of the University of Toronto.

Rick King 
Director of Marketing and Partnerships 
Rick King is the Director of Marketing and Partnerships for the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Rick was the head of consumer marketing at GateHouse Media and led marketing partnerships at Audible. He began his career at Showtime, where he oversaw direct marketing and partnerships, and has consulted with a mix of non-profits, start-ups and media companies throughout his career. Rick holds an M.B.A from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in History from Haverford College.

Meghan Lane 
Senior Grant Writer 
Meg joined the Foundation as Senior Grant Writer in November 2018. In this role, she is responsible for managing the Foundation’s corporate, foundation, and government prospect pipeline; researching potential philanthropic partners; writing grant requests to support the Library and its programs; and reporting on the impact of grants received. Meg has more than a decade of experience in grant writing and corporate and foundation relations, including positions at Brown University, Wellesley College, the Trustees of Reservations, and Merrimack Repertory Theatre. She received her B.A. from Providence College and her M.A. from Southern New Hampshire University.

Adriana Nguyen 
Development Assistant 
Adriana joined the Foundation in July 2023 after graduating from Florida State University with bachelor's degrees in public relations and political science. As the Foundation’s Development Assistant, her work includes data entry and database management; supporting the May Dinner and other Foundation events and initiatives; and processing acknowledgments. Prior to joining the Foundation, Adriana held positions as an education intern at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota and as a Marketing Assistant under the Division of Student Affairs at Florida State University.

Matt Porter 
Associate Director for Communications 
Matt Porter joined the Foundation in October 2016 and supports the Communications Department in media relations, public programming promotion, digital communications and analytics, and other communication strategies. He also co-hosts the JFK Library Foundation's podcast, JFK35. Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Theatre from Boston College and an Master's of Science Degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Jamie Richardson 
Manager of Digital Strategy and Engagement 
Jamie Richardson joined the Foundation in August 2008 as Program Assistant for the Department Education and Public Programs. In February 2016, she joined the Communications and Marketing Department to oversee digital strategy, including the relaunch of jfklibrary.org in 2018; collaborations with Google Cultural Institutes, the National Archives and Boston-area museums; and social campaigns connecting archival material at the JFK Library to the present day. She is writer and co-host of the Foundation’s podcast, JFK35. She holds a B.A. from Smith College in Art History.

Sarina Sadana 
Director of Development Events and Operations 
Sarina Sadana joined the Foundation in August of 2012 and has held various roles in the Development Department in event management, program development, donor relations, and operations. Her work includes producing, along with the entire Foundation team, the 2017 Centennial May Dinner and the 2019 JFK Space Summit. She also previously managed the New Frontier Network, the Foundation's program for donors with no living memory of President Kennedy, and the Membership and Annual Fund programs. Sarina holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Boston College.

Christine Sierra 
Executive Assistant 
Chrissy Sierra joined the Foundation in December 2021. Previously she worked at Stonehill College in the Education Department where she coordinated Program Approval by providing data and analysis for Massachusetts’ required licensing and improvement activities and supported Graduate Inclusive Education by developing systems and processes for new programs. Chrissy spent the first 14 years of her career at Liberty Mutual Insurance first in accounting roles, and later in various project management roles in underwriting and systems. Before leaving she managed senior leadership reporting and strategic planning for continuous improvement transformations. Chrissy is excited to use her varied business and education experience to support the work of the Foundation. She is a graduate of Bryant College.

Wakana Suzuki 
Associate Director of Finance and Administration 
Wakana Suzuki joined the Foundation as an Associate Director of Finance and Administration in February 2023. Prior to joining the Foundation, Wakana was a Director of Finance and Administration for Groton Hill Music, Inc. where she helped with the transition the music facility from 21,500 sf to 126,000 sf,  with 300-seat and 1,000-seat concert halls. Wakana holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Waseda University (Tokyo, Japan) and master’s degree in urban planning from SUNY Buffalo. She will be graduating with her MBA from Fitchburg State University in May 2023.

Archives

These positions are funded by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, but report to the Deputy Director at The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

William Bjelf 
Assistant Digital Archivist for Audiovisual Collections 
Digital Archives 
William Bjelf joined the Kennedy Library Foundation in November 2008 as an Audiovisual Metadata Cataloger for the Digital Archives Initiative. In 2011 he became Assistant Digital Archivist for Audiovisual Collections. Prior to joining the Foundation, he earned a M.L.I.S. from the University of Rhode Island and held an internship in the Center for Digital Initiatives at Brown University. He has also worked as a technical writer and engineer, and holds a B.A. in Electrical Engineering from Northeastern University.

Laura Kintz 
Archivist for Photographic and Textual Digitization 
Digital Archives 
Laura Kintz joined the Foundation's full-time staff in August 2016, after serving as an intern in the Library's Digitization Unit from January 2015 until July 2016. She earned her M.A. in History from UMass Boston in August 2016, with a concentration in Archives. During her time at UMass Boston, Laura completed an internship at the City of Boston Archives. She previously held positions at the John Joseph Moakley Archive and Institute at Suffolk University, Children's Hospital Boston, and Bedford/St. Martin's, a division of Macmillan Publishers. She holds a B.S. from Suffolk University in American History.

Kelli Yakabu 
Digitization Archivist 
Digital Archives 
Kelli Yakabu joined the Foundation in September 2021. Previously, she worked at the Nantucket Historical Association after receiving her M.L.I.S. from the University of Washington (UW). Kelli has interned at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Princeton University’s Mudd Manuscript Library, and UW Special Collections while pursuing her M.L.I.S. She also holds a B.A. in American Ethnic Studies and English from UW.

Ernest Hemingway Collection

This position is funded by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation but reports to the Deputy Director of The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Hilary Justice, Ph.D. 
Hemingway Scholar in Residence 
Hilary joined the Foundation in October 2016 as Hemingway Program Specialist. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was Associate Professor of English and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Illinois State University. An award-winning scholar and educator, she has published extensively on Ernest Hemingway, including her 2006 book, The Bones of the Others: The Hemingway Text from the Lost Manuscripts to the Posthumous Novels, and has spoken at the Idaho Hemingway Festival and the National Portrait Gallery Exhibit as well as at numerous national and international conferences. Hilary has served on the Boards of the Hemingway Society and the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park and the Editorial Board of The Hemingway Review. She holds an A.B. in Music from Dartmouth College, an A.M. in English from Trinity College (Hartford), and a Ph.D. in English Language and Literature from The University of Chicago.  

Department of Education and Public Programs

These positions are funded by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, but report to the Director of Education and Public Programs for The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Mackenzie Brown 
Program Coordinator 
Mackenzie Brown joined the Department of Education and Public Programs in February 2019. Prior to her appointment to this position, she worked as the Public Programs Assistant for the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. Before her time at the Harvard Museums, she worked at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, the Museum of Science, and the Bay Colony Shakespeare Company, and interned at the National Museum of Natural History. She received her M.A. in Museum Studies from the Harvard Extension School and her B.A. in History from the College of Wooster.

Emily Bryant 
Education Specialist / Docent Manager 
Emily is a career educator, both inside and outside the classroom. She began as a Teach for America corps member, teaching high-school English and French in Greater New Orleans. She then shifted her educational practice to museums, serving as the director of education & volunteers at Battleship Cove and most recently as the education manager at the USS Constitution Museum. She has also been a park ranger at several national park sites, and holds a master's degree in Public Humanities from Brown University. She joined the Foundation in January 2024.

Esther Kohn 
Education Specialist  
Esther Kohn, Education Specialist, joined the Foundation in September 2003. In addition to coordinating the Profile in Courage Essay Contest, she develops and implements elementary school programs at the Library. Prior to joining the Library and Foundation, she was an elementary school classroom teacher at the Cambridge Friends School and the Atrium School in Watertown, MA. Before becoming a classroom teacher, Esther developed exhibit programs at the Children's Museum in Boston. She has a B.A. in French from Washington University in St. Louis and a Ed.M. from Lesley University in Creative Arts in Learning.

Liz Murphy 
Forum Producer 
Liz Murphy, Forum Producer, joined the Kennedy Library Foundation in August 2016.  Prior to joining the Library and Foundation, she was a producer at the MIT Center for Art, Science & Technology (CAST).  Before moving to Boston, she was a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and served in Monterrey, Mexico; Baku, Azerbaijan; the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs; and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Liz holds an A.B. in history from Harvard College and an M.A. in arts management from George Mason University.

María D. Quintero 
Outreach and Programs Manager 
María Quintero joined the Foundation in November 2014 as the Outreach and Programs Coordinator. Previously, she worked at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, after receiving her M.A. in Public Humanities from Brown University. Prior to moving to the east coast, María worked on a wide-range of programming and exhibition development projects throughout California while earning her B.A. in History and Latin American Studies from California State University, Fullerton. Her professional pursuits center around making cultural institutions responsive community resources to engage the diverse communities they serve.