Museum Staff
Kris Jensen, Museum Director
kris@sj-mqt.org
Chris Salinas, Interim Director of Development
chris@sj-mqt.org
Tailyn Byrd, Operations Manager
tailyn@sj-mqt.org
Jada Williams, Membership Liaison
jada@sj-mqt.org
Emily Zook, Visitor Services Representative
emily@sj-mqt.org
Board of Directors
Melissa Leventon, Board Chair
Melissa is a curator specializing in European and American costume and textiles. Formerly Curator-in-Charge of Textiles at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, she is now principal of Curatrix Group Museum Consultants and Appraisers. Melissa has authored or contributed to many exhibition catalogues and journals and teaches fashion history and theory at California College of the Arts. Since 2006 she has been a senior consultant to the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles in Bangkok.
Pamela Armstrong, Vice Chair
Pamela has enjoyed a successful thirty-year career as a senior executive in the financial services and asset management industries. A good portion of her career was spent in Europe, where she oversaw teams located across the globe. Recently retired, she is enthusiastic about combining her legal and financial backgrounds with her avid interest in the creative field of textile arts.
Paula Kienert, Vice Chair and Treasurer
With a wealth of global asset management expertise spanning finance, operations, and data analytics, Paula has woven her career tapestry across London and Boston. Originally from New England, she now considers the vibrant Bay Area her home. Beyond her financial acumen, Paula is an ardent maker with a keen passion for the convergence of textiles, clothing construction, and sustainability. She holds a Masters in Finance from London Business School and a Masters in Library & Information Science from Simmons University in Boston.
Mai-Chi Vu, Secretary
Mai-Chi joins the museum from the tech industry, where she has worked across design, product management, operations, and more. Currently she leads the customer experience teams at Boomerang, a software company building everyday productivity tools for everyone. Mai-Chi holds a BFA in Art & Design from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She is an avid bowler and fiber art hobbyist - most recently garment sewing and sock knitting.
Erin Algeo
Erin Algeo is a Costume Mounter for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. She is Former Curator of Historical Dress and Manager at Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles, she is known for her innovative exhibitions. After graduating from University of California at Berkeley in Art History and Art Practice, she earned an MFA from California College of the Arts. In 2018, she attained a Masters of Letters in Dress and Textile Histories at the University of Glasgow.
Greg Climer
Greg is a fashion designer and textile artist. He is currently the chair of the fashion program at California College of the Arts. He has worked on design teams ranging from the Victoria's Secret Runway Show to Karl Lagerfeld. His textile work has been shown in the Museum of Art and Design (NY), the deYoung Museum (SF), and the Museum of Craft and Design (SF), as well as the permanent collections of the Leslie Lohman Museum and at the SJMQT.
Emily Frankel, Ph.D.
Originally from Southern California, Emily E. Frankel has been living in Northern California for the last 8 years. An avid reader, art enthusiast and formally trained dancer, Emily completed her studies of Latin American Literature and Culture at The University of California, Davis and thereafter worked at Santa Clara University as an adjunct instructor. She teaches Spanish language and literature classes at The Foundation for Hispanic Education.
Jennifer Mineer
Jennifer has a long history of arts engagement, curriculum development, and education partnership. She is the Executive Director at My Digital TAT2, a youth-facing nonprofit organization in Cupertino and has managed arts education enterprises as a vendor at Google and Meta. She held positions at Community School of Music and Art, University of Oregon and Oregon College of Art and Craft. She is an active artist, specializing in metalsmithing and jewelry.
Laurie Yoon
Laurie Yoon is a civil litigation attorney representing individuals and businesses in a wide variety of matters. Her primary practice areas include personal injury, employment law, landlord/tenant, and business torts. She has been an active and long-standing volunteer in her community and with a local Parent Teacher Association, contributing over many years in a variety of leadership positions including president. She is an avid museum goer who enjoys visiting not only the world-renowned exhibitions in other parts of the world, but also exploring small, quaint local museums with unique character and charm.
