Education Leader Jennifer Brehm Named as Director of Learning and Community Engagement at Penn Museum

PHILADELPHIA—Formerly Director of PreK-12 and Educator Programs at the Barnes Foundation, Jennifer Brehm has been appointed as the Penn Museum’s Director of Learning and Community Engagement. She will begin her new role on April 4, 2022.

A seasoned leader in museum educational programs, she brings more than 25 years of experience from outstanding local cultural institutions such as the Independence Seaport Museum, Shofuso Japanese House & Garden, Valley Forge, and Historic Mount Vernon. In her recent role at the Barnes Foundation, Brehm launched a partnership with the School District of Philadelphia, which through an interdisciplinary approach, engaged more than 16,000 pre-K through 12th grade students each year.

As part of her work at the Barnes, she developed one of the first anti-racist educational training programs for teachers used in a museum setting in Philadelphia. She also orchestrated one of the first museum programs in the United States to use the Universal Design for Learning strategies, which ensure equal learning opportunities for all students.

Brehm’s initiatives encouraged students to find their creative voices, make their museum visits more impactful, and help teachers to use an interdisciplinary approach to meet curricular standards.

“I am honored and delighted to be joining the Penn Museum at this exciting time when the institution is strengthening connections with communities and adding new ways of engagement,” Brehm says. “I look forward to building collaborative and inclusive programming and helping to further the Museum’s work in being a space for meaningful learning opportunities. At a time when virtual learning can reach so many, Penn Museum is emerging as a leader in providing impactful online learning experiences.”

Brehm earned her master’s degree in museum education from George Washington University and a bachelor’s in art history from the University of Massachusetts.

“As we solidify our commitment to our neighbors in Philadelphia and create more accessible galleries and programs, we are thrilled to welcome Jennifer Brehm to the Penn Museum,” said Dr. Christopher Woods, Williams Director of the Penn Museum and Avalon Professor in the Humanities at Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. “Jennifer is an experienced and collaborative leader with a proven track record in fostering award-winning school and community partnerships. She is the ideal candidate to help advance our educational mission: empowering people to see themselves—and each other—in our magnificent global collection, and in doing so, uncover our shared humanity.”

As its new leader, Brehm will build upon the previous success of the Learning and Community Engagement Department, a three-pronged operation encapsulating K-12 education, public programming, and community engagement. Among its many achievements include:

• Serving approximately 34,000 K-12 students as of 2021
• Welcoming 6,000 middle-schoolers each year from nearly 100 Title I schools through its Unpacking the Past program. It begins with an in-classroom visit— complete with touchable replica artifacts—to get kids curious about archaeology and anthropology. Then, the class visits the Museum at no charge—even their bus transportation is covered. Finally, each child receives a voucher for their entire family to visit the Museum together, at no cost.
• Providing more than 300 online educational experiences such as Ancient Alcohol and Deep Dig classes drawing 53,000 attendees, including K-12 students and other at-home learners through its public programs.
• Delivering a welcoming and educational experience for Anthropology Camp adventurers ages 6-13. With safety and fun as its top priorities, last year’s summer camp sold out with 500 campers over an extended period of 10 weeks.
• Celebrating CultureFest! for more than 40 years to spotlight cultures from around the world through an all-day festival. Popular with families, the program continued to attract 600-1,000 attendees in 2021, despite the pandemic.