Curating a Calling
EdD alumni follows path to museum leadership role in Pittsburgh
KT Todd (EdD ’22) is living out their dream job as the director of learning and research for the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh in the city’s historic North Side neighborhood.
In this role, Todd gets to co-design, study, and evaluate the museum’s interactive exhibits and other experiences, which are meant to inspire kindness, joy, creativity, and curiosity in patrons.
This work includes evaluating exhibit prototypes, developing accessibility services, leading a multi-million-dollar portfolio of research projects with other museums, and overseeing the museum’s professional development program.
“It’s definitely my dream job, and I absolutely credit the EdD program and [my former professor and advisor] Dr. Kevin Crowley for connecting me to it,” said Todd, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Education’s Doctor of Education program.
At the Children’s Museum, Todd has built their own team and developed a research agenda rooted in equity, justice, and out-of-school learning. The museum has developed powerful partnerships with the Manchester Charter School and now hosts two Head Start classrooms on its campus.
The work is enjoyable, Todd said, because it demands creativity and innovation. But what makes it the most special is the people.
“I know it’s cliche, but I’ve been able to hire incredible people. The types of people who really change your life. You can’t get better than that,” Todd said.
Just a Plane Ride Away
Todd’s journey to the Pitt EdD began in Boston, Massachusetts where they were exploring doctoral programs while still working at the Museum of Science. They needed to pursue a doctorate to qualify them for applying for large-scale federal research grants as a principal investigator.
Todd didn’t want to quit their job, but most PhD programs required full-time study. Todd also wanted to focus on museums, but found that most EdD programs were focused on the K-12 or higher education context.
The Pitt EdD program, with its part-time format and major in Out of School Learning, checked all the boxes.
The only downside was the commute. Todd had to fly the 500+ miles from Boston to Pittsburgh for the program’s in-person classes held once-a-month on Saturdays.
The trip was worth it.
“I loved the in-person sessions,” Todd said. “I made really close friendships and would stay with one of my good friends from the cohort when I’d come to visit. It felt like a family,” Todd said.
To this day, Todd meets for dinner once a month with several of their EdD classmates.
Life-Changing Professors
When Todd’s time in the EdD program was drawing to a close, Crowley suggested they apply to the position at the Children’s Museum. He encouraged them to contact the museum’s executive director.
“The rest is history,” Todd said.
Crowley was one of several outstanding professors whom Todd says contributed to their growth in the EdD program. They credit Professor Tom Akiva for being “just a tremendous human” and Assistant Professor Eleanor Anderson for “exploring ideas with me and helping me dream” on their dissertation in practice. Additionally, they think fondly of their experience working with the school’s former Renée and Richard Goldman Dean Valerie Kinloch to create a Genius, Joy, and Love summer program at the Museum that was “life changing” for them and the participants.
“Everyone just felt authentic,” Todd said. “They were in it for the students, and they were bringing their best selves.”
Todd has come full circle. Todd now teaches courses in EdD Out of School learning major as a part-time instructor.
They tell students the EdD program is not the beginning, as everyone in the program is already mid-career. Nor is the EdD program the end. The program, instead, is a gateway to what’s next.
“Your dissertation is setting you up for a decade or more of ongoing research and practice work,” Todd said.
The other wisdom Todd shares with students is that the EdD program is “really about what you make of it.” Whether a student is there to earn a degree for a career milestone or is ready to pour into it, the program is a good fit.
“If you’re there to just get through it, it’s nice to know it’s very achievable for working people, and if you want to make this a rich and deep experience, there’s no ceiling for how much you can get out of it,” Todd said.
In Todd’s case, the program was a pathway to their dream job.
