HMML Welcomes New Coo, Congratulates Promoted Director Of Programming
HMML Welcomes New COO, Congratulates Promoted Director of Programming
The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML) is pleased to announce two key staff leadership appointments:
HMML welcomes Whitney Buccicone, who joins the organization as its first chief operating officer, reporting to Executive Director Dr. Columba Andrew Stewart. In this newly created role, Buccicone will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight to help advance HMML’s mission. Responsibilities include managing internal operations and overseeing teams across cataloging and library services, information systems, advancement, and programming.
Buccicone has more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit management and academic leadership. Most recently, she served as executive director of the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, where she led significant advances in programming, membership development, and operational infrastructure. Her previous roles include positions at the University of Virginia, University of Washington, and Indiana University, with a focus on discovery services, metadata strategy, and special collections access.
“We are thrilled to welcome Whitney to HMML,” said Stewart. “Her blend of library services and nonprofit management experience, combined with operational expertise and mission-driven leadership, makes her an excellent fit for this new role at HMML. She will be an outstanding partner in this next chapter of HMML’s growth and global engagement.”
HMML also congratulates Dr. Audrey Thorstad on her promotion to director of programming. Since joining HMML in 2024 as a programming associate, Thorstad has contributed significantly to the development of scholarly and public engagement initiatives. In her new role, she will oversee the design and execution of all programming aimed at academic, donor, and public audiences.
Thorstad earned her BA from the College of Saint Scholastica in 2010, her MA in 2011, and her PhD in History in 2015 from the University of Leeds, England. Prior to joining HMML, she held teaching and research positions at the University of North Texas and Bangor University in Wales. She is the author of *The Culture of Castles in Tudor England and Wales* (Boydell Press, 2019) and has published on topics including heraldry, hospitality, and early modern social life.
With the addition of Buccicone and the promotion of Thorstad, HMML is well-positioned to further its mission to partner with manuscript repositories around the world in digitally preserving and sharing handwritten heritage—especially collections endangered by war, disaster, looting, or neglect.
