P.A. d'Arbeloff has been named director of the new Cambridge Science Festival, MIT Museum Director John Durant announced earlier this month. D'Arbeloff, a former journalist, press secretary and fundraiser, was most recently the executive director of the Boston Public Library Foundation. As director of the Cambridge Science Festival, d'Arbeloff will lead the celebration of the breakthrough scientific research and contributions made by those living and working in Cambridge.
"We are looking forward to P.A. taking over this important community-wide initiative," Durant said. "Her expertise in working with a variety of community institutions will build on the early success of the first Cambridge Science Festival and will strengthen our ties with the many people and organizations that created, funded and managed events during the first festival."
"It's an exciting time for both the MIT Museum and the Festival," said d'Arbeloff. "I am especially interested in making sure that elementary and high school students are benefiting from festival programs. I will also assure that the many outstanding educational opportunities that the business community offers to inspire students and to promote science literacy in the Cambridge community are effectively communicated, and taken advantage of by students and their families."
D'Arbeloff, who was national press director for the Tsongas for President campaign in 1992 and press secretary for the successful Menino for Mayor campaigns in the 1990s and in 2001, has extensive community relations and events management experience. In her previous roles, d'Arbeloff spearheaded far-reaching community outreach programs and ran highly successful city-wide literacy programs honoring children and engaging entire families. In her role as Cambridge Science Festival Director, d'Arbeloff will be a staff member of the MIT Museum. Her responsibilities include oversight of all festival activities, including fundraising, programming and media relations.
D'Arbeloff earned a B.A. in communications from Ithaca College, and an M.S. in broadcast journalism from Boston University.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 26, 2007 (download PDF).
