Deputy Director, Office of Communications and Marketing
Smithsonian/National Museum of American History
Valeska M. Hilbig is the Deputy Director of the Office of Communications and Marketing at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History where she is instrumental in developing and realizing the office’s strategic plan. An award-winning strategist with more than two decades of public relations and marketing experience, Valeska has worked closely on some of the biggest events at the museum, including the bicentennial of the Star-Spangled Banner, the founding of Jazz Appreciation Month, the acquisition of Julia Child’s kitchen and the implementation of recurring food and brewing history programming, plus many object donation ceremonies. For her work on select museum campaigns, Valeska won three awards from the Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media Relations and Publicity – Grand Prize in Best Media Campaign of the Year for “Julia Child’s Kitchen,” Gold in Arts and Entertainment for “Hip-Hop Won’t Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, the Life,” Gold in Arts and Entertainment for “Piano 300” – and one from the Clarion Awards for Best Crisis Communications Plan for Numismatics Hall Closing. Among other committee work, Valeska serves in a leadership position on the museum's Diversity Advisory Council. Valeska holds a Master of Arts in Public History from New Mexico State University.
Tuesday, May 21
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM