Alice M. Greenwald
As a senior leader recognized internationally for executive expertise in memorial museums, Alice Greenwald has led organizations through challenges and controversy with positive outcomes and negotiated complex issues with empathy and pragmatism to identify actionable solutions, promote consensus, and achieve meaningful resolutions.
As principal of MemoryMatters, she provides strategic advising services for museums, memorial projects, senior executives, and boards, with a specific focus on helping communities build resilience through commemoration and documentation of traumatic history.
“Alice was there, welcoming four presidents, a Pope, and a prince. She set the highest standards with style and grace. She’s been an incredibly creative and thoughtful leader and partner.”
Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies and Founding Trustee, National September 11 Memorial & Museum
2017 - 2022
From January 2017 to September 2022, Ms. Greenwald served as President & CEO of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, a position where she was responsible for the overall vision, financial well-being, management, and long-term sustainability and relevance of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
2006 - 2016
From April 2006 to December 2016, Ms. Greenwald served as Executive Vice President for Exhibitions, Collections, and Education and Director of the Memorial Museum. In this role, she oversaw the articulation and implementation of a founding vision for the 9/11 Memorial Museum, managing its programming, collecting, exhibition, and educational initiatives.
1987 - 2006
Ms. Greenwald served as Associate Museum Director, Museum Programs, at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, D.C., from September 2001 to February 2006. Her 19-year affiliation with USHMM began in 1987, when she served as a member of the “Design Team” for the Permanent Exhibition, and continued on as an expert advisor, helping to structure the collections department, develop temporary and traveling exhibitions, conceive educational programming, produce institutional literature, and prepare a case statement for development initiatives.
1986 - 2001
From 1986-2001, Ms. Greenwald was the principal of Alice M. Greenwald/Museum Services, providing expertise to various clients including, in addition to USHMM, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Pew Charitable trusts, and the Historical Society of Princeton.
1974 - 1986
Ms. Greenwald has served as Executive Director of the National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia (1981-86); Acting Director (1980), Curator (1978-81) and Assistant Curator (1975-78) of the Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum, Los Angeles, and Curatorial Assistant at the Spertus Museum of Judaica, Chicago (1974-75).
Alice Greenwald - Portrait by Timur York
Ms. Greenwald is the author of several articles on museum practice, Jewish ritual art, and various historical topics. Her book, The Stories They Tell: Artifacts from the National September 11 Memorial Museum, co-edited with Clifford Chanin and published by SkiraRizzoli, was cited in The New York Times as one of the best books about New York City published in 2013. She is also the executive editor and primary contributing author of No Day Shall Erase You: The Story of 9/11 as Told at the National September 11 Memorial Museum, the official companion volume to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, published by SkiraRizzoli in August 2016. This book was awarded the bronze prize in the 2016 Foreword INDIES Awards in the category of History (Adult Nonfiction).
Greenwald has served on the Board of the International Council of Museums-U.S. and is currently a Board Member of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and Central Synagogue in New York City. She is also First Vice-President of The Lotos Club in New York City, which honored her with its Award of Distinction in 2020.
She holds an M.A. in the History of Religions from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a B.A with concentrations in English Literature and Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College, where she delivered the commencement address to the class of 2007.