Colleen Higginbotham

Colleen Higginbotham joined the Chrysler Museum of Art in 2007. As Deputy Director for Visitor Experience, she cultivates the visitor experience at the Museum through supervision and training of frontline staff, ongoing analysis of visitor research, and coordination of visitor logistics. She manages Visitor Services, Special Events, Security, the Perry Glass Studio, and the Museum Shop, and oversees the catering contract.

With more than twenty-five years of customer service management experience, Higginbotham wrote the book on improving visitor satisfaction, growing and diversifing audiences, and engaging with the community. Literally. In Creating Great Visitor Experiences, Higginbotham draws on her experience of implementing the Chrysler Museum’s Gallery Host program, which garnered national recognition and is used as a model by museums across the country. Gallery Hosts provide service, security, and engagement throughout the Museum to assure the safety of the collection, answer questions, and engage visitors in casual conversations about art. She holds a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies tourism management from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and participated in the Museum Leadership Institute and CIVIC Leadership Institute. She currently sits on the boards of the Virginia Association of Museums and the Museum Store Association.

Higginbotham’s passion and excitement have built an organization-wide team mentality that opens the doors to the continued commitment to inclusion and accessibility.