Mission Statement
The Museum and Library Alliance of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MLA) aims to provide professional development opportunities for established and emerging professionals in Lehigh Valley museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions and to foster a network of common resources and opportunities for collaboration.
Goals
- Aid in the professional development of established and emerging professionals in museum, libraries, historical societies, and other cultural institutions through presentations, symposiums, and workshops.
- Encourage and facilitate cross-collaboration among cultural organizations in the greater Lehigh Valley.
- Combine resources to aid in greater impact of programs and exhibitions.
- Establish an online resource forum.
Contact Us
Executive Committee Members
Jess Ambler
Muhlenberg College
Jess Ambler is the Director of the Martin Art Gallery at Muhlenberg College. She has a PhD in art history and once upon a time, she studied Roman art. Today, she enjoys working with living artists and making their exhibition dreams come true. In her free time, Jess is an avid baker, crafter, and reader as well as a proud cat mom.
Julia Brennan
Lower Macungie Library
Julia Brennan has lived in Bethlehem her whole life and plans to stay. She is currently Director of Youth Services at Lower Macungie Library. She reads, draws, and plays video games in her spare time. A member of the deaf community, she preserves and works on fostering community in the Lehigh Valley.
Beth Brevick
Backstage Library Works
I’m a grandmother, but I’m not afraid to put on an inflatable T-Rex costume and run around the grocery store. I have a fascination with Punxsutawney Phil and love going on weekend trips to explore new places with my husband. And, though I’m a skeptic, I enjoy ghost hunting every once in a while. Cats > Dogs
Susan Falciani Maldonado
Muhlenberg College
Susan’s favorite thing is putting rare books and archival material into the hands of undergraduates and seeing what magic can happen. She is particularly interested in the use of college history as a lens through which students can examine historical events, culture, and society. Susan lives in NJ in a (finally!) renovated Victorian house with her husband and five cats.
Kristen Leipert
Bethlehem Area Public Library
Kristen works closely with the local history and reference collections and answers an assortment of patron questions on a daily basis. She spent 18 years as an archivist with a side of librarianship and is now a librarian with a side of archiving, but has always enjoyed the people part of each the most. In her spare time, she fetches snacks for her children but would rather be knitting.
Emily Marchello
National Museum of Industrial History
I care for the artifacts and help develop exhibits at the National Museum of Industrial History. When I’m not at work, I can be found on my small family farm riding horses, taking care of turkeys, or playing with our dogs.
Claire McRee
Allentown Art Museum
Claire is the associate curator at the Allentown Art Museum, where she especially enjoys working with the textile collection and brainstorming playful ways for visitors to interact with exhibitions. Outside of work, her interests include reading, trying new recipes, and indigo dyeing.
Brett Peters
Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites
Matthew Rothfuss
Bethlehem Area Public Library
Matthew Rothfuss is the Head of Reference at the Bethlehem Area Public Library. In his spare time he enjoys film, classic console gaming, hiking, cooking, and travel. He lives in Bethlehem with his wife, daughter, and their Australian bush kitten, Wicket.
