Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew is the 5th Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. With career experience that spans private and nonprofit sectors, Dr. Matthew brings to the agency a deep knowledge of the educational and public service roles of museums, libraries and related nonprofits.

Confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September 2015, Dr. Matthew is serving a four-year term as the Director of the Institute. The directorship of the Institute alternates between individuals from the museum and library communities. Dr. Matthew’s career interests have centered around supporting and coaching museums and other nonprofits, large and small, who are focused on propelling their programs, communications, events, and fundraising offerings to a higher level of success. 

Trained as a scientist, Dr. Matthew’s 30-year museum career began in curatorial, collections management, and research roles at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and Cranbrook Institute of Science.  She worked with a variety of collections including ornithology, paleontology, fine arts, and anthropology. She then moved into management, exhibits and educational programs development, and fundraising and marketing roles, working at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, The Nature Conservancy, the Historic Charleston Foundation, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.  She was also a science advisor for the IMAX film “Tropical Rainforest,” produced by the Science Museum of Minnesota.

In addition she was Executive Director of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, a state-funded museum.  In that role she worked with corporations, federal agencies, public schools, and Hispanic and Native American communities to offer STEM-based programs. “Proyecto Futuro” was a nationally-recognized program that began during her tenure.

Dr. Matthew has worked on three museum expansion projects involving historic buildings; Science City at Union Station, in Kansas City, Missouri; the Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall and The Chemical Heritage Foundation, both in Philadelphia.

Dr. Matthew’s expertise in developing new exhibits and programs has been shaped by her corporate sector work with Reebok, Unilever, and Blackbaud in new product development and project management.  At Blackbaud, she was the Product Manager for the Arts and Cultural business sector and played a leadership role in the development of “Altru,” a comprehensive SaaS software product.   Also at Blackbaud, she provided change management and facilitation services to national organizations in healthcare, higher education, human services, disaster relief, conservation, and public policy sectors.  Prior to joining IMLS, she consulted with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, serving as Chief Science Educator.

Over her 30-year career, she has been active as a volunteer to smaller nonprofits, board member, and award winning peer reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums’ Accreditation and Museum Assessment Programs. Her board service has included two children’s museums, a wildlife rehabilitation center, and a ballet company.

Dr. Matthew received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College, an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.