Alice M. Greenwald
Alice Greenwald is founder and principal of Memory Matters. With over 40 years in the cultural sector, she has served as President & CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (2017-2022), EVP for Exhibitions, Collections, and Education and Founding Director of the 9/11 Memorial Museum (2006-2016), and Associate Museum Director, Museum Programs, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (2001-2006). She holds an A.M. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago Divinity School and a B.A. with concentrations in Literature and Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College.
Recognized internationally in the field of museum practice, Alice Greenwald established MemoryMatters, LLC, in 2022, with the goal of helping communities build resilience through commemoration and documentation of traumatic history. With a proven track record of leading major national institutions from concept to reality and widely credited with advancing a model of excellence for museums of memory, she provides strategic advising services for memorial projects, museums, senior executives, and boards.
FEATURED WORK & CORE COMPETENCIES
Conceptual development of memorial museum projects, including:
National September 11 Memorial & Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Curatorial practice and considerations regarding the presentation of emotionally-charged content
Negotiating complex challenges with empathy and pragmatism to identify actionable solutions
Diplomatic management of diverse stakeholder perspectives to build consensus
Crafting language to convey core principles and objectives of memorial and public history initiatives
Her breadth of experience in various executive roles spans strategic and financial planning, articulation of institutional vision, oversight of exhibition and program development, management of constituent expectations, institutional advocacy and fundraising, and operational management of core museum functions. Under her leadership, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum was named the top museum in the United States and the second-best museum in the world by Trip Advisor.
She was the lead writer/editor for two award-winning publications: The Stories They Tell: Artifacts from the National September 11 Memorial Museum (2013) and No Day Shall Erase You: The Story of 9/11 as Told at the National September 11 Memorial Museum (2016).
Greenwald has consulted with a number of high-profile global memorial and museum projects, including the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial & Learning Centre, where she was appointed to the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation Board at the request of former British Prime Minister David Cameron. She has also provided advice to the planners of the Oslo Government Centre and Utøya island memorials commemorating the 22 July 2011 bombing/massacre in Norway.
Greenwald has served on the Board of the International Council of Museums-U.S. and is currently a Board Member of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, a Trustee Emerita at Central Synagogue in New York City, and First Vice-President of The Lotos Club in New York City, which honored her with its Award of Distinction in 2020. The commencement address she delivered to the class of 2007 at Sarah Lawrence College has been listed in Humanity.org’s Index of Outstanding Speeches as one of the two best speeches that year.