AIHA Announces New Staff

The Albany Institute of History & Art is proud to announce the following new staff appointments: Joan Cullen has been named Executive Assistant to the Director; Mark Denley has been named Business Manager; Susan Dorko has been named Education Coordinator; and Charles Brockstedt and Timothy Doherty have been named Security Guards.

Joan Cullen’s primary focus is the day-to-day administrative functions of the Director’s Office including relations with the Board of Trustees.  She has more than 15 years experience in the not-for-profit arena and previously held the position of Special Events Coordinator at Equinox, Inc, a community service agency.  Born in Ireland and raised in New York City, Ms. Cullen is currently a resident of Latham and is a community volunteer for the AIDS Walk, MS Society Walk, Big Brothers- Big Sisters and Special Olympics.

Mark Denley is responsible for the overall finance and accounting operations of the Albany Institute, including daily activities, the oversight of investment funds, financial reporting and budget maintenance.  He has eight years experience in the business management and administration field and previously held the position of Administrative Director and Controller at Environmental Business Association of New York State, Inc.   Mr. Denley, a native of New Gloucester, ME and a current resident of Albany, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY. 

Susan Dorko’s responsibilities will include school programs, adult group programming, video conferencing and education event planning.  She has more than ten years experience in the museum field and previously held the position of Director of Education at the Noah Webster House in West Hartford, CT.  Ms. Dorko received her Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA; her Master’s degree in History from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI; and her Master’s degree in Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program, State University of New York at Oneonta, Cooperstown, NY.  

Charles Brockstedt comes to the Albany Institute after having worked for Schenectady County, as a guard for the Schenectady Public Library.  With nine years experience in the field of security, he is a licensed New York State Security Guard.  Mr. Brockstedt was born and raised in New York’s Greenwich Village and is currently a resident of Schenectady. 

Timothy Doherty has had a variety of experiences in museum- and museum-related fields.  Previously, he held curatorial internships with the Plaza Art Collection and the Albany Institute, served as a gallery attendant for the Rice Gallery and has had his artwork appear in a number of gallery shows.  A native of the Capital Region, Mr. Doherty received his Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees from the College of St. Rose, Albany, NY and his Doctorate of Arts degree from the University at Albany, Albany, NY.