Apr

On the move in the Office of Communications and External Affairs

Office of Government Relations

Chanel Williams

Greg Abbott has joined the Office of Government Relations as a Government Relations Officer and is handling the Smithsonian’s science portfolio. He joins us from Capitol Hill, where he was on the staff of the House Committee on House Administration, the Smithsonian’s primary oversight committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. As one of the main Congressional staff members covering Smithsonian issues, Greg comes with unusually detailed knowledge of what we do and how we do it.

Office of Public Affairs

Chanel Williams is the Public Affairs Assistant for the Office of Public Affairs. A recent graduate of East Carolina University, where she majored in communications and public relations, Chanel distributes daily media clips and handles a variety of other media and administrative tasks.

Office of Visitor Services

Jennifer Bitters

Jennifer Bitters is the Associate Director of the Office of Visitor Services. In addition to her most recent experience as director of a learning center in Houston, Texas, Jennifer has developed and overseen guest relations departments for the Wildlife Conservation Society and its five New York city parks: the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo. She also has experience with guest services in the attractions industry, including a year as the admissions sirector for Schlitterbahn Galveston Island Waterpark, and three years in various front-line roles at the Walt Disney World Resort. Jennifer has a Master’s degree in arts management from Carnegie Mellon University.

Kristi Delich

Kristi Delich is the Client Services Manager for OVS. She comes to us from Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Washington, where she served as their Volunteer Manager. She also spent seven years at the National Building Museum, where she worked her way up through the ranks in volunteer management and visitor services, culminating in a position as Director of Visitor Services. Kristi is responsible for overseeing volunteer management, training and communications for visitor programs within OVS.

Juven Jacob is the Staff Assistant for the Office of Visitor Services. He graduated cum laude from the University of Houston with a degree in public relations and political science. He has worked for Reich & Binstock, LLP, a nationally recognized law firm for over 10 years. He will assist staff on special projects and other administrative tasks.