Guiding a throng of visitors through the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., alumna Jeanne Einhorn Simpson ’15 transports guests back in time as she discusses the mysteries surrounding King Tut—leading them past photos of the Pharoah’s golden coffin and images of hieroglyphics projected on a large-scale display as part of the immersive Nat Geo exhibit.
For the past three and a half years, Simpson worked as a visitor experience representative at the museum where she led tours, interacted with visitors, and ensured that guests had a positive experience at the interactive museum. “My primary responsibility was operating the museum floor. The exhibits tend to change every six to eight months, so I was constantly learning something new, and learning about the new research and projects that explorers are working on internationally,” she said.
Simpson has now assumed a new role at the museum as the ticket office manager. “I'm focusing a lot more on the operational and logistical side of museum ticketing and customer service. Our museum just finished exhibiting ‘Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience,’ and we're staying closed temporarily while we undergo a campus renovation project,” Simpson said.
Her path to the National Geographic Museum began years earlier as a SUNY Potsdam student. Originally from Westchester, N.Y., she was looking for college experience several hours away from her hometown, and one that offered an art program. “My first time visiting Potsdam was in January 2009 at the start of a spring semester, and I fell in love with it despite the cold and snow,” she said. “Honestly, my fondest memories are the lifelong friendships I made. I met some of my best friends during my time at Potsdam, some of whom were in my wedding in 2019.”
Simpson was heavily involved on campus as a member of the Four College Hillel and as an Emerging Leader at the College. She embraced an interdisciplinary approach to her education, and like many students, her undergraduate years became a time of growth and discovery as she narrowed her career aspirations while pursuing two majors and two minors—a BFA in Visual Arts and a BA in art history with minors in sociology and journalism. At first, she wanted to be a photojournalist, but her goals changed over time after one-on-one conversations with her professors in the Department of Art.
“I ended up falling more in love with the critical learning side of art history over the creative aspect of photography, and the late Dr. Teresa Watts (an art history professor who taught at the College for 29 years) was a huge part of that,” she said. “I'll never forget going on her distance learning course to Paris in May 2014. Our group was at a chateau in the Loire Valley, and she and I were discussing some of my observations of the grounds and collection. She turned to me and said, ‘You should become an art historian, I think.’ It was, and remains, one of the highest compliments I have ever received.”
To wrap up her degree, she gained valuable skills working with the College's permanent art collection in the Gibson Gallery where she cataloged and updated the database of paintings and sculptures in the collection of approximately 2,300 pieces of mid-20th century modern and contemporary art. When she graduated, Simpson started looking for work in the field of museum studies. “I worked in the custom framing department at Michaels to keep my creative side happy, and had a few internships at various New York City art galleries to gain that experience for my resume. Through the abundance of applications submitted, I found that one of the best ways for me to be competitive in the museum field was to get my master’s degree,” she said.
Simpson enrolled in the museum studies program at George Washington University with a focus in exhibitions and the visitor experience. Shortly after completing her master’s degree, she was offered a job at National Geographic. Simpson now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband, Jonathan, a Clarkson University alumnus whom she met during her time at Potsdam. They now have a one-year-old daughter, Felicity, two corgis and a rescue cat.
“While I've been back to Potsdam since graduating, we haven't been able to visit together, so we're really excited for when we can finally make the trip up as a family and introduce our daughter to the little town where it all began,” she said. “Until then though, the jury is still out as to whether she'll end up a Golden Knight or a Potsdam Bear if and when she goes to college.”
Article by Jason Hunter