Federal 100: Allison Willcox
Name: Allison Willcox
Title: Assistant Director for IT, National Museum of African American History and Culture
Agency/Company: Smithsonian Institution
Making a museum digital. As anyone who’s tried to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture knows, tickets are in high demand. Willcox, an anthropologist and collections manager turned IT leader, made sure the museum is also serving those who can’t visit in person by developing an unprecedented web, mobile and social media presence. Her impact is felt on-site as well in the museum’s 15 interactive exhibits and — less visible but just as important — the IT systems and processes her colleagues relied on to officially open the museum last September.