Phyllis Hecht

At Johns Hopkins, Phyllis Hecht is a lecturer for the MA in Museum Studies program. She was the program’s founding director in 2008 and has worked at Johns Hopkins University since 2005.

Hecht has been recognized as a leader in the museum field for her innovative work in education, design, strategic planning, and technology. Her research focuses on best practices and innovative use of technology in the museum field. During her tenure as program director, Hecht received grants from JHU for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion initiatives; travel to China to collaborate and exchange ideas with museum colleagues and academics; facilitation of summits on topics of digital curation and STEM; and initiatives related to current issues of museums and the environment.

Prior to her work at JHU, Hecht worked at the National Gallery of the Art in Washington, D.C., as manager of the museum’s website and as an award-winning designer of print and web publications. Hecht co-edited The Digital Museum: A Think Guide, an anthology on museums and technology, and has published papers and participated in international panels on topics of museums and technology, building online community, current practices in digital curation, and fundamentals of grant writing. She has served on the board of the American Alliance of Museums Professional Networks, as chair of the Committee on Museum Professional Training, and as the Muse Awards chair of the Media and Technology Committee. She also served on the International Advisory Board for the “One-by-One” grant project, led by the University of Leicester, to address digital literacy skills within the museum workforce.

Hecht received a Bachelor of Science in journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of Maryland and a Master of Arts in teaching in museum education from George Washington University.