Open Forum

Stacey Marie Garcia

Stacey builds more connected and equitable communities. She helped transform the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History into a thriving community hub. At the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, she implemented participatory grantmaking and the racial equity coalition, Rise Together. She led numerous workshops on community engagement while at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Currently, she is Program Director at UC Santa Cruz's Center for Reimagining Leadership. 

Linda Norris

Linda is a creative catalyst who helps museums, cultural institutions, and communities unlock their potential through inclusive, forward-thinking interpretation and engagement. She brings a global perspective and has worked with institutions ranging from the War Childhood Museum in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the U.S. National Park Service. She is co-author of Creativity in Museum Practice and has been a Fulbright Scholar to Ukraine. She will be aFulbright Scholar to Latvia in fall 2026.

Braden Paynter

Braden connects people, places and stories so we can build stronger futures together. He was the Director of Methodology and Practice and the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience and has also worked for the National Park Service at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. Braden's writing has focused on making transformative connections and building civic engagement through historic sites, and the role of victims, survivors, and perpetrators in catalyzing positive change.