By Lisa Ciota, Class of 2020, Education Guide
Do not try to satisfy your vanity by teaching a great many things. Awaken people’s curiosity.
It is enough to open minds; do not overload them. Put there just a spark.
If there is some good flammable stuff, it will catch fire.
Anatole France, The Earth Speaks
Just a spark … a spark of inspiration … a spark of understanding. In many ways, that’s the mission of CAC’s Education Department: to light a spark that inspires children, students and adults to learn about their city, the built environment and why design matters – a mission aligned with the CAC’s strategic goals.
It’s a tall order. And, with the resumption of live, in-person summer camps, festivals, and community-based programs the Education Department has been stretched due to staffing cuts during the pandemic. In fact, until recently, Education Dept staffing was about 40% below 2019 levels despite the fact that the number of youth, educators and families engaged in 2021 was nearly the same as in 2019 (and only a 6% drop in 2020).
The good news is over the last several months the Education Department has been hiring people to advance the CAC’s goals and objectives. We are excited to welcome the following people to the team:
Liliana Macias, Manager of Education Programs
Liliana manages our portfolio of programs for students in grades K-8. This includes overseeing field trips, student workshops, camps and festivals – like Engineering Fest. In this role, she’ll be the CAC’s liaison with schools, educators and education focused organizations to build awareness of our programs and ensure they evolve to meet the needs of students. Liliana is passionate about education and comes to us from the Chicago History Museum where she spearheaded an integrated and collaborative new education framework for its school programs. Outside the CAC, Liliana is studying to complete her PhD in History at the University of Illinois Chicago, teaching at Northeastern Illinois University and working with the Gage Park Latinx council to mentor LGBTQ+ youth on the city’s south and west sides.
Paul Neumann, Educator
The return of more in-person programs means we need more people to implement and lead our curriculum as an educators. The CAC is pleased to welcome back Paul, who served in a similar role with the CAC in 2019 and early 2020. In addition to leading student workshops, Paul will be a key point person for Education Guides, coordinating and confirming with schools for field trips. Most recently, Paul worked as a consultant for the Richard H. Driehaus Museum. Paul has also worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frick Collection, and Pleasant Home in Oak Park, IL. He has a MA in Museum Studies from Georgetown University and a BFA in Sculpture and Mixed Media from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dana Aldweik, Teen Programs Educator
Educated as an architect at the University of Illinois Chicago, Dana joins the CAC to help shape the next generation of architects. Dana will help lead our highly regarded high school programs including Teen Fellows, Teen Ambassadors and annual Newhouse Competition. Before coming to the CAC, Dana was a site planner at Brookfield Properties Retail and an architecture tutor at Harold Washington College. An avid photographer, Dana combined her hobby and major together to become a Professional Real Estate Photographer.
Liliana, Paul and Dana help build out the existing CAC Education team which includes, Nicole Kowrach, VP of Education and Engagement, Angela Esposito, Director, Education and Experience, Kennda Mims-Burt, Manager, Teen Programs. Collectively, this adds more fire power to the team to advance the CAC’s strategic goal to serve as a leading forum to educate and inspire people of all ages to take active roles with the built environment to attain the communities they want. need and deserve.
A hearty welcome to all.
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