Emily Stokes-Rees

Emily Stokes-Rees, PhD, is Director of the School of Design at Syracuse University and the Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership. In addition to a doctorate in Museum Anthropology, Emily is a museum professional with close to 20 years of experience in a variety of positions, from exhibition development and interpretation to education and collections management. Her research centers on museums as agents for social change, asking: how can we use innovative interdisciplinary approaches to collections in order to increase the impact museums have on the people and communities around them? Recent publications include a book on postcolonial museums in East Asia (Rowman and Littlefield International, 2019) and a number of journal articles on museums across Asia, Canada, and the US. At Syracuse, Emily teaches courses on Cultural Heritage Preservation, Museum Fundraising and Development, Curatorship, and Interpretation.