Thursday, July 31 at 9:15 AM

Sponsored by Roto

Museums have a pivotal role to play in their communities and, as stewards of history and culture, this means that the work is never “easy.” When conflicting viewpoints, changes in staff or leadership, or external pressures disrupt the process, any effort to strengthen our organizations and support a thriving community can feel even more daunting. 

There may be turbulence, but we don’t have to stop rowing!

We’re bringing two bright minds to the conversation during the Crosscurrents keynote session to offer insights from their work and provide real world case studies to help you build the case internally for keeping the paddle in the water.

Join us for the Keynote session on July 31 at 9:15 AM and continue the conversation with our guest speakers during the Lunchtime Networking Roundtable from Noon-1:00 PM the same day. 

Bonnie McDonald

President & CEO

Landmarks Illinois

Bonnie McDonald has served as the President and CEO of statewide preservation nonprofit Landmarks Illinois since 2012. Her 23-year career leading placekeeping nonprofits has focused on transformational change to realize relevant community impact.

Bonnie is reframing preservation as a solution for society’s critical needs including climate change mitigation, public health, housing and social justice. She is a thought leader and national voice for evolving preservation at its current inflection point. The James Marston Fitch Charitable Foundation awarded Bonnie its 2020 Mid-Career Fellowship supporting a four-year research initiative culminating in The Relevancy Guidebook: How We Can Transform the Future of Preservation, published in 2023. She continues to publish and speak nationally about her findings.

Bonnie chaired the National Preservation Partners Network, co-chaired the Chicago Monuments Project Advisory Committee, and sits on the State of Illinois Route 66 Centennial Commission and National Council on Public History Labor Task Force. She has a Historic Preservation Planning Master’s Degree from Cornell University and an Art History Bachelor’s Degree, Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Minnesota.

Mark Treskon

Principal Research Associate, Housing and Communities Division, Community and Economic Development

Urban Institute

Mark Treskon, Ph.D., is a principal research associate in the Housing and Communities Division at the Urban Institute. His work focuses on place-based equitable community development, civic assets and the cultural economy, affordable and subsidized housing, and financial capability interventions. Recent projects on civic assets and the arts have included research to support the Institute of Museum and Library Services on the design and implementation of the American Latino History and Culture grant program, and a study of the impacts on artists and organizations participating in the Creatives Rebuild New York artist employment program. He has published peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on federally-subsidized housing programs, community-based planning, home lending policy advocacy, and the arts economy.

Treskon has a PhD in Sociology from New York University, a Master’s in Urban Planning from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor’s in Geography from the University of Chicago.