Museum Staff
Missy DiNunno - Executive Director
mdinunno@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Missy DiNunno joined The Children’s Museum Group in July of 2024 as Executive Director. Prior to her role with TCM, Missy served as Executive Director for Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center providing vision, leadership, and comprehensive direction in executing the organization’s strategic plan and elevating organizational initiatives. She was instrumental in creating an award winning venue brand that promotes Simsbury Meadows as one of Southern New England’s largest outdoor performance venues. Additionally, Missy served as Director of Operations for the legendary Shubert Theatre in New Haven, as well as Associate Director of Operations for CT’s premier performing arts center, The Bushnell, where in addition to advancing operations and patron service initiatives, Missy maintained a strong commitment to advancing accessibility for patrons with disabilities. Missy holds a BA in Communications with a Minor in Business from Marist College.
Jay Kaplan - Roaring Brook Nature Center Director Emeritus
jkaplan@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Jay Kaplan began work as “naturalist” at Roaring Brook Nature Center in 1973, and assumed the position of Director in 1975. Jay served as Director for 50 years, and most of it was great fun (Covid 19 closures being an exception). In summer 2025, Jay transitioned to the position of Director Emeritus, leaving the day to day responsibilities of running the Nature Center in the capable hands of Kim Read. Jay will continue to coordinate the Nature Center’s fundraising campaigns, do some teaching and work on special projects with a range of Nature Center partner.
Jay holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and a master’s from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a past president of the Hartford Audubon Society and the Connecticut Ornithological Association, and remains active with both institutions, coordinating the Audubon Society’s Christmas and Summer Bird Counts, and serving on COA’s Avian Records Committee, for which he served as Chair for over 20 years. He is a long time member of Canton’s Conservation Commission and serves as a Director-at-Large for the Canton Land Conservation Trust. Over the years, he has participated in research projects involving birds, box turtles, butterflies and dragonflies.
Kim Read - Chief Learning Officer
kread@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Julie Bostrom - Preschool Director
jbostrom@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Julie holds an Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Psychology, as well as her Connecticut Director’s Credentials. She began her journey at this preschool in 1991, completing her student teaching here. With over 30 years of experience working with young children, Julie has taught Preschool and Kindergarten.
Before becoming Director, Julie served as Lead Teacher and Assistant Director for five years, and she still enjoys visiting classrooms whenever the opportunity arises.
Outside of work, Julie is an avid football fan (Go Patriots!) and loves attending games whenever possible. She’s also a big fan of live music and has been to over 100 concerts!
Mackenzie VanBrand - Director of Education, Center for STEAM Advancement Program Manager
mvanbrand@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Mackenzie joined the Museum in 2022 and brings a love of science, the outdoors, and hands-on learning to everything she does. She earned her degree in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Mathematics, from the University of Wisconsin–Superior. Over the years, Mackenzie has worked with kids of all ages—from being a lead preschool teacher to leading teens on wilderness backpacking adventures—and has even served as a Field Crew Leader for the US Forest Service, doing fishery research and habitat restoration. When she’s not at the Museum, you might find her building something in her workshop or exploring nature.
Hannah Allison - Marketing and Communications Manager
hallison@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Hannah Allison joined the Children’s Museum in the summer of 2025 and, after helping to redesign the website, was excited to continue as the Marketing and Communications Manager. She has a deep love for art, nature, and all things creative, and enjoys bringing that curiosity to her work. Hannah has loved being part of the incredible team at the Children’s Museum, helping create engaging experiences for families and children.
Patrick Burgess - Registration Coordinator
pburgess@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Patrick has worked in the Museum field since 2000 and at The Children’s Museum since 2009. He fills up the calendar and keeps our Museum Educators very busy. He makes it easy for organizations to plan and choose from our many different offerings. He loves getting to know our customers and learning about the schools, libraries, municipal, and private programs we serve across Connecticut and beyond. His favorite part of the Museum is the Animal Care Center and his favorite animal is Tulip the Groundhog.
Ian Robinson - Lead Educator
irobinson@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Ian Robinson has been an educator at the Children’s Museum for over 12 years. He loves teaching about STEM topics in the dozens of schools, libraries, and camps he gets to visit each year as part of the Children’s Museum’s outreach programming. His favorite program is a portable planetarium where he can take kids on a journey of discovery about space that never ceases to inspire them to wonder about the awesome universe of which we are all a part.
Savanna Arcuri - Neighborhoods Educator / Museum STEAM Educator
sarcuri@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Savanna has always loved working with animals and is now doing what she loves. She has a BS in Marine Biology from The University of Maine at Machias, and is passionate about birding in her free time. She joined the Museum in June of 2024, and loves to cuddling Bowser while she works. Her favorite activity is commentating Battle Bots at STEAM fairs.
Laura Seifert - Museum STEAM Educator
lseifert@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Laura Seifert is a passionate, kind, and informative educator who has over ten years of experience teaching arts and crafts and working with ambassador animals. Her favorite programs are ones where creativity takes the center stage or any program involving animals. She graduated from UConn in 2024 with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Despite the fact she considers herself a snake expert, her favorite animals in the Sanctuary are Lady, the crested gecko, and Willow, the African pygmy hedgehog.
Gianna Palladino - Museum STEAM Educator
gpalladino@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Gianna became part of The Children’s Museum in April, 2025. She loves teaching people of all ages about science topics, especially focusing on the environment and animals. She has a background in marine studies and has been teaching the public since 2019. Her favorite program to teach is Animal Adaptations and she loves bringing along Dotty, our Diamondback Terrapin, to show off her cool patterns and talk about her unique habitat. Outside of work, you can find Gianna curled up with a good book and a cup of tea or out on a walk in nature.
Tyler Small - Facilities Coordinator
tsmall@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Tyler has been working at the Children’s Museum for 6 years, making sure every visit is safe, smooth, and full of wonder. He graduated from the college of Wooster in Ohio, with a history major and a minor in education and philosophy. In his role, he supports every aspect of the museum. He works in the Animal Care Center, maintains the building, supports exhibits, helps out educators, and assists with special projects, so all families can enjoy their time exploring and playing. Before joining the museum, Tyler worked at a nursery landscape center. His Favorite Animals at the Museum are Stanley and Franklin. Outside of work he enjoys being outside.
Charlotte Pearson - Administrative Assistant
cpearson@thechildrensmuseumct.org
Charlotte has been working at the Children’s Museum Group as an Administrative Customer Service Associate for 3 years. She has been a dedicated Executive Assistant with 30 years of experience supporting executives in the fast-paced industry (both private sector and state government). A master of organization and efficiency, she thrives on managing complex schedules, coordinating high-stakes meetings, and ensuring seamless operations. Passionate about enabling executives to achieve their goals while maintaining work-life harmony.