Senior Management Group Biographies

Karyn Flynn, CEO and Executive Director

Karyn Flynn comes to the Museum with a background in investment management, having worked for Goldman Sachs in the Private Wealth Management group. Karyn serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees for the Bay Area Discovery Museum. She also currently serves as a Trustee for Heyday Books in Berkeley. In addition, she holds an M.B.A. from London Business School. She currently lives in Kentfield with her husband, Geoff, and their three boys, Hunter, Harrison and Grayson.

Jennifer Caleshu, Director of Communications

Jennifer Caleshu joined the Museum in July 2006 upon returning home to the Bay Area after three years in Rochester, New York, where she served as Acting Executive Director and Artistic Director of a not-for-profit art house movie theatre. She previously worked in a number of positions for American Conservatory Theater, where she produced the new opera The Difficulty of Crossing a Field with Kronos Quartet. She is an M.B.A. candidate at the University of California, Haas School of Business, class of 2013, where she is a Forte Fellow and recipient of the Roland Shapansky Scholarship. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University in Human Biology, with a focus on child development and issues of adolescence. Jennifer is a native of Marin County, and volunteered for the first Goblin Jamboree in high school. She lives in Greenbrae with her husband and their two children.

Brianna Cutts, Director of Exhibitions

Brianna Cutts joined the Museum in February 2009. Brianna earned her BS at UC Davis in Environmental Design, and her Masters in Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University. She has experience in exhibit design, fabrication, and evaluation, and in the past has worked as Education Coordinator at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena, at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, and IDEO, a highly creative and successful design consulting firm in San Francisco. Brianna is also an adjunct faculty member at JFK University. In her free time, Brianna enjoys outdoor adventures with her family. She lives in Sausalito with her husband, Donald Sibbett, and their young son Wesley.

Scott Dahlman, Director of Operations

Scott joined the Museum in the spring of 1996 as a temporary Exhibit Technician and has since worked his way to the position of Director of Operations after serving as Groundskeeper, Operations Coordinator, and most recently, Operations Manager. Scott has a background in Facility Maintenance and Security. A Marin County native, Scott currently resides in Mill Valley with his wife, Carolyn, and their two young sons, Charlie and Henry. In his free time Scott participates as a Parent-Teacher at his son’s pre-school and works on a variety of home improvement projects. When time allows, Scott also enjoys cooking, eating, and trying to get a little sleep.

Gail Reitano, Director of Development

Gail Reitano joined the Museum in April 2009 following a consulting career in which she developed funding strategies in the areas of health care, media, the environment, and affordable housing, including work at the county level in Marin on transit-orientated affordable housing developments and as a member of the visioning committee for Marin County’s 10-Year Plan to end homelessness. While serving as Executive Director of the Bolinas Community Land Trust, she raised funds for two affordable housing projects in downtown Bolinas, including overseeing an environmental clean-up for the town’s only gas station. Prior to that she started and operated her own business importing US goods in London, England, and for which she received a grant from the Carter Administration to encourage women in business. Gail holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University. She currently lives with her husband, Nick Bogle, in Bolinas. Her first contact with the Museum was in 1991, when she and her husband would visit with their daughter, Ava.

Bruce Simon, Director of Education

Bruce Simon joined the Museum in January 2006. Bruce has been the Museum's Director of Education for almost four years. Prior to assuming his current duties, Bruce served as the Museum’s School and Community Programs Manager and was responsible for running Summer Camps. He has over 15 years of experience working in culturally, racially, and economically diverse schools in the Bay Area. Among his accomplishments are coordinating communications and technology curricula for a K-5 school through a federally funded magnet grant and delivering math professional development to primary teachers through the Bay Area Math Project. Bruce has two children ages 10 and 8, who are among the legion of Bay Area Discovery Museum fans.

Darlene Titus, Director of Finance and Human Resources

Darlene Titus joined the Museum in October 2009. Darlene earned her MBA at the University of Phoenix and her BS at CSU Sacramento in accountancy and management information systems. After starting her public career at KPMG LLP in Sacramento, she served as Controller, combining her proficiencies in accounting, human resources and information technology for various companies in the private sector. Darlene also earned a registered investment advisor license and state insurance license while working for companies like American Express and MetLife. She lives in the diverse community of Marin and takes advantage of her scuba instructor license whenever possible.