An anthropologist with over ten years of experience creating engaging and educational digital experiences both online and in-person in cultural heritage. An enthusiastic and creative leader with a proven track record in using experimentation, data, and strategic problem solving to drive digital transformation. Expert storyteller, presenter, and humanist who works collaboratively across departments to drive innovative digital outreach that exceeds organizational goals.
Education
Michigan State University, PhD, Anthropology, May 2016
University of Edinburgh, MSc with Distinction, Archaeology, August 2010
State University of New York at Geneseo, BA, Anthropology, May 2008
Skills
Engagement: Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, Constant Contact, Matterport 360 Tours
Design & Text: Adobe Creative Suite, iMovie, Microsoft Office, Google Suite, Canva
CMS & CRM: Drupal, WordPress, OMEKA, OnCell Mobile Tours, Sprout Social GitHub
Analytics: Facebook Business, Google Analytics, SurveyMonkey, R Stats, KPIs
Programming Languages: HTML 5, CSS 3, KML, SQL, XML, Bootstrap
Management: Strategic Planning, Budget Management, Education, Cross-Departmental Collaboration, Project Management
Curriculum Vitae
Digital Engagement and Communications
Digital Communications Manager, Candid, March 2022 – Present
- Leads strategic development, implementation, and assessment of Candid’s organic digital engagement through social media, email, blog content, and other platforms.
- Collaborates across departments and divisions to create data-driven and compelling content that engaged and educates Candid’s global audience of nonprofits, foundations, philanthropists, researchers, and more.
- Crafted the organization’s social media brand guidelines, voice, and social video outreach strategy.
- Led Innovation Fund project to test the use of short-form video within the organization, learn more here.
Digital Engagement and Communications
Manager of Digital Engagement, George Eastman Museum, May 2016 – March 2022
- Leads strategic vision, management, and content production for all public facing digital experiences for internationally recognized museum, including social media, website, virtual tours, e-newsletters, mobile app, online events, and onsite interactives to create a unified visitor experience both on-site and online, and ensure alignment with goals.
- Led transformation of digital experiences across the museum: social media audience grew 70% and engagement by 100%; YouTube views increased by 143%; e-newsletter opens increased by 137% and clicks by 78%, mobile app users increased by 738%
- Supervises videographer and oversees the entire process from script development to filming and editing to distribution; production of over 20 videos annually
- Manages the historic process workshops program, which engages audiences in STEAM learning online via live demonstrations and virtual field trips; leads creative vision and production, including lesson planning and educational materials
- Guides crisis management on all digital platforms, specifically social media
- Collect, assess, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategy
- Trains staff in digital literacy and related skills
- Oversees and implements WCAG 2.0 and accessibility compliance
Project Director, Transforming Audience Engagement & Reach through Digital Programs, George Eastman Museum, July – December 2020
- Led and provided strategic vision for grant-funded project to experiment and develop engaging, and unified online experiences for online audiences, including virtual tours, webinar series, educational videos, and digitization and sharing of collections materials
- Supervised a team of over 20 staff members and managed grant budget
- For accomplishments, see eastman.org/NEHCARES
Digital Outreach & Engagement Consultant, Various, May 2011 – March 2020
- Create social media strategies, develop and maintain dynamic online presences, and design effective digital campaigns across social media platforms for individuals and organizations, including the Rochester Brainery, Michigan State University departments and campus groups, and private companies.
Institute on Digital Archaeology Method & Practice Assistant, August 2015 – August 2016
- Aid the NEH-ODH funded institute faculty and staff in workshops and any operations needed, aid with map based projects, update and maintain Knowledge Base, and live-Tweet events.
The Graduate School Fellow, MSU, January 2014 – May 2016
- Aid the Assistant Dean of the Graduate School in creating new digital workshops and programming for graduate student development, lead day long boot camps on digital identities and website production
Founder and Co-Editor, GradHacker, June 2011 – May 2016
- Created GradHacker, a graduate student blog on Inside Higher Ed, and continue to aid with publishing and editing blog posts, using social media to interact and engage with audience, and authoring posts
Cultural Heritage Informatics Returning Fellow, MSU, September 2013 – May 2014
- Design and maintenance of digital humanities project, taught lecture on geospatial technology, used previous experience to aid in discussion and programming
- Developed map based database for classifying pre-Christian cemeteries in England
Lead Game Designer for Red Land Black Land, MSU, January 2011 – May 2012
- Responsible for content design, scenario design, written dialogue and maintaining team organization for Egyptian focused serious game.
Collections Management Experience
Campus Archaeology Fellow, MSU, September 2010 – May 2016
- Led public outreach both in-person (tours and conference presentations), and online (social media, WordPress, and OMEKA), based on onsite programming and research informed by collections and archival research
- Oversaw management of archaeological collection
- Aided with implementation, troubleshooting, and training on all related hardware and software for team
- Developed and maintained Geographic Information System
Assistant Director, MSU, June – July 2015
- Assisted with leading a five-week archaeological field school on campus
- Taught field, lab and digital methods, lead education of collections management and public outreach programs.
Teaching Assistant, ANP 464: Methods in Cultural Heritage, MSU, May – August 2014
- Aided with design and teaching of course that introduced cultural heritage, collections management and preservation methods.
Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellow, MSU, January – August 2011
- Developed content management system and digital museum for objects relating to the Campus Archaeology Program
- Learned variety of skills in production, design and maintenance of digital humanities projects
- Helped to initiate and run the first GradHacker boot camp.
Education & Teaching Experience
Adjunct Professor, Social Media, Nazareth College, August – December 2019
- Designed and taught undergraduate course that introduced basic concepts, theories and methods in social media
Lead Instructor, ANP 203: Introduction to Archaeology, MSU, May – August 2014, January – May 2015, January – May 2016
- Designed and taught undergraduate course that introduced basic concepts, theories and methods
MSU Excellence-in-Teaching Citation, November 2015
- Awarded to graduate teaching assistants who have distinguished themselves as the best of teaching assistants by the care and skill they have shown in meeting classroom responsibilities
Certification in College Teaching, September 2015
- Awarded certificate for completion of five core competencies, creation of digital teaching portfolio, and mentored teaching experience. Portfolio selected as exemplar and used as model for other students.
Future Academic Scholars in Teaching Fellow, August 2014 – May 2016
- Fellowship to improve pedagogy and have mentored teaching experiences. First MSU Anthropology student selected, and chosen for Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching & Learning exchange
Teaching Assistant, MSU, August 2010 – August 2011
- Graded and created exams, held office hours weekly, aided in general classroom responsibilities, and taught one lecture per semester.
- “ANP 490: Mobile and Geo-location Applications Field School”
- “ANP 370: Health, Illness and Disease”
- “ANP 270: Women and Health”
Archaeological Lab and Field Experience
- Excavation of Roman Urns, Museo Nazionale Pigorini, July 2012
- Osteoarchaeology Lab Work, University of Edinburgh, January – May 2009
- Spring Street Project Lab Work, Syracuse University, June – July 2009
- Slavia Project Field School, Adama Mickiewiecz University, June – July 2007
- Assistant Director, Morton Cultural Resource Management, May 2007 – July 2008
- Brown’s Bottom, SUNY Geneseo, June – July 2005, 2006
Organizational, Editorial and Writing Experience
Associate Editor for Bioarchaeology, Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin, April 2012 – May 2016
- Writes articles for a quarterly bulletin summarizing topics and current events in Bioarchaeology, including topics on stable isotope analysis, archival research, climate, conference presentations, and more
- All nine articles are available open access online
MATRIX Staff Member: GradHacker, MSU, January 2012 – May 2016
- Part of MATRIX Center for Digital Humanities and Social Science as editor for GradHacker, see above in Digital Humanities and Technological Experience under Founder and Co-Editor, GradHacker.
Department of Anthropology, MSU August 2013 – May 2015
- Aided in the operations of the chair’s office, including organizing and advertising events, updating and maintaining social media, and writing, editing and designing the bi-annual newsletter.
Council of Graduate Students, MSU, September 2010 – April 2014
- Graduate Academic Conference Chair and Secretary, April 2013 – April 2014
- Search Committee Representative, March 2013 – September 2014
- Anthropology Representative, September 2010 – April 2013
- Instructional Computing and Technology Representative, September 2010 – September 2012
- Website Development and Technical Advisor, September 2011 – April 2014
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Edited Volumes
Goldstein, Lynne and Katy Meyers 2014. Transformations and Metaphors: Thoughts on Cremation Practices in the Pre-Contact Midwestern United States. In Transformation by Fire: The Archaeology of Cremation in Cultural Context. Edited by C. Quinn, I. Kuijt, and G. Cooney. Arizona: Amerind Series, University of Arizona Press. Pp. 207 – 234.
Meyers, K. and Williams, H 2014. Blog bodies: mortuary archaeology and blogging. In Blogging Archaeology. D. Rocks-Macqueen and C. Webster, eds. E-book: Landward Research, Pp. 137-70.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications
Kathryn Meyers Emery & Howard Williams 2018. A Place to Rest Your (Burnt) Bones? Mortuary Houses In Early Anglo-Saxon England, Archaeological Journal, 175(1): 55-86.
Meyers Emery, Katy and Kristina Killgrove 2015. Bones, Bodies, and Blogs: Outreach and Engagement in Bioarchaeology. In Internet Archaeology, 39. http://dx.doi.org/10.11141/ia.39.5
Meyers, Katy 2014. Exploring an Opportunity to Link the Dead in Ancient Rome. In Institute for the Study of the Ancient World Papers 7. T. Elliott, S. Heath and J. Muccigrosso. Electronic Document. http://sfsheath.github.io/lawdi-publication/isaw-papers-7.xhtml
Edited Review Publications
Meyers Emery, Kathryn and Andrew Reinhard 2015 (Forthcoming). Trading Shovels for Controllers: A Brief Exploration of the Portrayal of Archaeology in Video Games. Public Archaeology 14(2).
Other Publications
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Powerful Family, Weak Children: The Bioarchaeology of the Medici Children. In Dig Magazine, Spring 2015.
Meyers, Katy 2014. Archaeology: The Study of the Forgotten. In Darling Magazine Summer Edition 2014.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2014. Using the Dead to Understand Access to Water. In Showcasing Popular Anthropology, American Anthropological Association Fall 2014 Edition.
Digital Publications
Bones Don’t Lie (bonesdontlie.com), August 2010 – May 2016
Personal blog for news and opinions on mortuary and bioarchaeology. Updated weekly with approximately 600 to 1,000 hits per day. Ranked among top Anthropology blogs, editor’s choice for Research Blogging, and certified academic source through Research Blogging and Science Seeker.
Contributing Author
- GradHacker (gradhacker.org), June 2011 – May 2016
- Campus Archaeology Program (campusarch.msu.edu), September 2010 – May 2016
- Independent Funeral Group Newsletter, January – April 2015
- Forensic Magazine, July 2015
- Cultural Heritage Informatics (chi.matrix.msu.edu), January 2010 – August 2014
- MSU Today, October 2013 – October 2014
- PopAnth, January – December 2014
- Society for Historical Archaeology, August 2013
- Past Horizons, May 2011 – May 2014
- Play the Past (playthepast.org), May 2011 – May 2012
- Chronicle for Higher Education: ProfHacker, March – June 2011
Conferences and Presentations
Conferences and Symposia Organized
Panel Organizer, Museums and the Web, April 5-9, 2021 (Submitted)
Good, Bad, and Sometimes Ugly: Lessons Learned from Making Virtual Exhibitions Before, During, and After the Pandemic
Panel Organizer, Museums and the Web, April 2-6, 2019
Expanding the Experience: Using Digital Technology to Re-imagine Exhibitions
Chair and Organizer, April 7-9, 2018
Work is Never Over: Different Approaches to Digital Engagement in an Ever-Changing World
Chair, Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, April 6-10, 2016
Invited Symposium: Buried, Burned, Bundled and Broken: Approaches to Co-Occurrence of Multiple Methods, Treatments and Styles of Burials Within Past Societies
Chair, American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting, November 21, 2015
Invited Symposium: Ghosts, Spirits, and the Strange or Otherworldly
Chair, Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, April 24, 2014
Invited Symposium: Place and Space in a Digital Landscape: New Perspectives on Analyzing and Sharing Geospatial Data in Archaeology
Conference Committee Chair, MSU Graduate Academic Conference, March 27, 2014
Designed, organized and directed graduate student conference for students from the Midwest.
Conference Workshops
Meyers Emery, Kate and Jennifer Aho 2018. Workshop: No Cheat Codes Needed: We Built a Digital Game for a Museum and You Can, Too! Museums and the Web. Vancouver, BC. April 18-21, 2018. Slides online: slideshare.net/MuseWeb/mw18-workshop-no-cheat-codes-needed-we-built-a-digital-game-for-a-museum-and-you-can-too
Paper Presentations
Stuber, Tracy and Kate Meyers Emery. Frankenstein’s Museum App: Learning from the Landscape of Digital Initiatives. Paper Presentation. Museums and the Web. Boston, MA. April 2-6, 2019.
Meyers Emery, Kate and Hannah Barry 2017. #MuseumLove: Working Together to Promote Local Cultural Institutions. Paper Presentation. Museums and the Web. Cleveland, OH. April 19-22, 2017.
Meyers Emery, Kathryn 2016. Preparing Their Deaths: Examining Variation in Co-occurrence of Cremation and Inhumation in Early Medieval England. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Orlando, FL. April 6-10, 2016.
Meyers Emery, Kathryn 2016. Resting Places and Digital Spaces: ieldran : The Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Mapping Project. Digital Middle Ages Invited Symposium. Medieval Academy of America Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. February 24-26, 2016.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. The Seduction of Spirits and the Sensational: Using the Otherworldly to Open Archaeological Dialogues. Invited Symposium. American Anthropological Association Annual Meeting. Denver, CO. November 21, 2015.
Bright, Lisa, Katy Meyers Emery, and Kate Frederick 2015. The Only Thing Constant is Change: Maintaining Continuity in the MSU Campus Archaeology Program. Midwest Archaeological Conference. Milwaukee, WI. November 6, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. What Does it Mean to be Sacred? Campus Archaeology, Authenticity and the Sacred Space of MSU. Cultural Heritage and Landscape Values. UMass Amherst Center for Heritage and Society. Amherst, MA. May 14, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digital Digging: The impact of technology on learning and digital confidence in an undergraduate archaeology course. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning: All-Network TAR Presentations. Online Presentations. April 30, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Diverse Digital Archaeologies- CAA-NA & DDIG Event. Forum Discussant. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. April 16, 2015.
Meyers, Katy and Lynne Goldstein 2014. Social Media for Engagement, Communication, and Collaboration: The MSU Campus Archaeology Program, Invited Honorary Speaker. Midwest Historic Archaeology Conference. Niles, MI. September 28, 2014.
Meyers, Katy 2014. Linking the Spaces of Resting Places: GIS, Anglo-Saxon Archaeology & Linked Open Data. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Austin, TX. April 24, 2014.
Meyers, Katy 2014. Blogging Archaeology, Again- Discussant. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Austin, TX. Saturday, April 26, 2014.
Meyers, Katy 2013. From Deference to Deviance: Changing Burial Patterns in Anglo-Saxon England. Invited Symposium. Canadian Association of Physical Anthropologists Conference. Toronto, CAN. October 20, 2013.
Meyers, Katy 2013. Glory Paid to the Ancestors: Internal Excavation of Cinerary Urns from Isola Sacra. MSU Graduate Academic Conference. East Lansing, MI. February 15, 2013.
Meyers, Katy 2012. Co-Occurrence of Cremation and Inhumation in Cemeteries: A Case Study at Isola Sacra, Italy. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Memphis, TN. April 19, 2012.
Meyers, Katy 2012. Co-Occurrence of Cremation and Inhumation in Cemeteries: A Case Study at Isola Sacra, Italy. Invited Symposium. MSU Graduate Academic Conference. East Lansing, MI. May 30, 2012.
Goldstein, Lynne and Katy Meyers 2011. Cremation in the Pre-Contact Eastern North America: Some Thoughts and Patterns. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA. April 2, 2011.
Invited Presentations
Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. CTRL + ALT + DELETE: Tips & Tricks for Creating & Managing Your Digital Identity. Upstate Social Sessions. September 15, 2017.
Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. A Roadmap For Creating Cool Digital Maps. Rochester Advertising Federation: 20 Minutes and a Beer. September 12, 2017.
Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. Not Everything to Everyone: Observations from Creating A Social Media Brand. William A. Kern Speaker Series. February 16, 2017.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digital Digging: The impact of technology on learning and digital confidence in an undergraduate archaeology course. Ball State University- CIRTL Network Talks. April 17, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digital Digging: The impact of technology on learning and digital confidence in an undergraduate archaeology course. UMass Amherst CIRTL Network Invited Lecture. September 29, 2015.
Meyers Emery, 2015. Preparing Their Death: Studying and Sharing Early Medieval Burial Practices. University of Massachusetts Amherst Colloquim Series. Amherst, MA. September 28, 2015.
Meyers, Katy 2012. Glory Paid to the Ancestors: Internal Excavation of Cinerary Urns from Isola Sacra. University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology Lecture Series. Ann Arbor, MI. November 8, 2012.
Meyers, Katy 2010 “A New Quantitative Method for Diagnosing Rickets in Early Modern London”. MSU Anthropology Brown Bag Lecture Series. East Lansing, MI. October 1, 2010.
Poster Presentations
Bright, Lisa, Katy Meyers Emery and Amy Michaels 2015. More Than Just Nightsoil: Preliminary Findings from Michigan State University’s First Privy. Midwest Archaeological Conference. Milwaukee, WI. November 6, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Let’s Talk About Death! ComSciCon. Boston, MA. June 19, 2015.
Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digging Digitally: A Case Study in Improving Digital Competency and Confidence in the Archaeology Classroom. HASTAC, East Lansing, May 29, 2015.
Meyers, Katy and Nikki Silva 2013. When Bones Are Lost Can Gender Be Found? A Spatial Examination of Gender in An Anglo-Saxon Cemetery. American Anthropological Association Annual Conference. Chicago, IL. November 20, 2013.
Meyers, Katy and Sabrina Perlman 2013. Heart of Campus: Investigation of MSU’s Changing Landscape, Identity and Priorities. MSU Graduate Academic Conference. East Lansing, MI. February 15, 2013.
Sewell, Kristin, Katy Meyers, and Lynne Goldstein 2012. Dusting off our Past: Campus Archaeology and Research Methods. MSU Graduate Academic Conference. East Lansing, MI. March 30, 2013.
Meyers, Katy 2011. A New Quantitative Method for Diagnosing Rickets in Early Modern London. American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Minneapolis, MN. April 15, 2011.
Meyers, Katy 2007. Tool Kit? Understanding the Assemblage from F196 Brown’s Bottom #1. North Eastern Anthropological Association Conference. Ithaca, NY. April 20-22, 2007.
Crego, David and Katy Meyers 2006. Whiteware as an Indicator of Economic Status in Dixon Hollow. Archaeological Society of Ohio Conference. Columbus, OH. May 19-20, 2006
Awards and Honors
- American Association of Museums Social Media Journalist, May 2021
- American Association of Museums Social Media Advocate, February 2021
- Medieval Academy of America Travel Bursary, November 2015
- ComSciCon Attendee, July 2015
- Council of Graduate Students Disciplinary Leadership Award, January 2015
- Medieval Academy of American Dissertation Award, May 2014
- Society for Archaeological Sciences Student Travel Award, May 2014
- AAA: Archaeology Division Student Membership Award November 2013
- Linked Ancient World Data Institute Attendee June 2013
- Pre-Dissertation Funding Award, Michigan State University May 2013
- Visiting Scholar at the American Academy in Rome July 2012
- Travel Funding Award, Michigan State University July 2012
- Phi Kappa Phi, Michigan State University Chapter May 2012
- Graduate Research Enhancement, Michigan State University September 2011
- Travel Funding Award, Michigan State University April 2011
- Abercromby Postgraduate Grant, University of Edinburgh April 2010
- Pavel Sabovik Award, SUNY Geneseo May 2008
- Lambda Alpha Epsilon Member, SUNY Geneseo April 2007
Professional Memberships
- Museum Computer Network, 2020 – Present
- American Association of State and Local History, 2020 – Present
- Young Urban Preservationists, 2019 – Present
Activities and Volunteer Work
- Museum Computer Network Technology Volunteer, November 2020
- Awarded free membership and conference attendance to aid with technology questions during conference.
- Museums and the Web Conference Volunteer, April 2019
- Awarded free conference attendance and travel funds to aid with conference.
- MSU Graduate School Student Panel, August 2013 – May 2016
- Select PhD students from MSU’s community that meet to aid in improving Graduate School resources
- Graduate Students of Anthropology, MSU, September 2010- 2013
- Council of Graduate Students Representative
- MSc Student Faculty Liaison, University of Edinburgh, October 2009 – October 2010
- Acted as a liaison between the Masters students and faculty at bi-semester meetings.
- Archaeology Forum Webmaster, University of Edinburgh, October 2009 – October 2010
- Created, updated and maintained the forum for the Archaeology department
- MSU Grandparents University, June 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- Undergraduate Research Forum Judge, April 2015
- MSU Campus Archaeology Science Fest, April 2013, 2014, 2015
- MSU Department of Anthropology Orientation, August 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
- MSU Sciencepalooza, April 2014
- Michigan Archaeological Conference, October 2012
- Michigan Archaeology Day, October 2012, 2013
- American Physical Anthropology Association, April 2011
Kate Meyers Emery 