Staff Directory

Kate Jacus   

Preservation Specialist | Pronouns: she, her, hers

As DHPSNY Preservation Specialist, Kate conducts Preservation Needs Assessments and assists with archival and preservation planning. She also develops and presents educational programs and provides technical information to libraries and archival repositories in New York State.  

Prior to joining the DHPSNY Staff in 2023, Kate provided photo organizing and collections management services to families through her business, The Photo Curator. She was also the Marketing Coordinator for Archival Methods, a supplier of archival storage and presentation supplies. Her past museum work includes Collections Manager at The Strong in Rochester, NY and Membership Assistant at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Kate received her MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology, her MA in Museum Studies from University of Colorado - Boulder and her BA in History from Colgate University. 

Kate Philipson

Archives Specialist | Pronouns: she, her, hers

As DHPSNY Archives Specialist, Kate Philipson conducts Archival Needs Assessments and assists with archival and preservation planning. She also develops and presents educational programs and provides technical information to library and archival repositories in New York State.

Prior to joining DHPSNY in 2019, Kate worked as a Media Preservation Assistant in the New York University Library’s Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department, and as the Metadata/Access Intern at the La MaMa Experimental Theater Club Archives. While in New York City, she also interned at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Library and Archives, as well as actively participated in the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) Student Chapter and the Audiovisual Preservation Exchange (APEX) program in Puerto Rico. Kate was honored to be a 2018 NYU Gallatin Global Fellow in Urban Practice, working with the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago to help form an archive of their community history. Previously, she held various roles at Temple University’s Urban Archives and the Library Company of Philadelphia. Kate received her MA in Archives and Public History from NYU and her BA in Film and Media Arts and American Studies from Temple University.

Read an interview with Kate from DHPSNY News: Fall 2019 (click here to read the full publication).

Amanda Murray

Program Manager | Pronouns: she, her, hers

As the Program Manager for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, Amanda oversees all aspects of DHPSNY, including coordinating educational programs, communications, outreach, and planning and assessment programs.

Prior to joining DHPSNY as Preservation Specialist in 2020, Amanda worked as the Visual Materials Cataloger for the Department of Rare and Manuscript Collections and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University. She has worked as an archivist for Preserving the Past, LLC, an archival consultant for the Out Alliance in Rochester, NY, interned in the Photography Department at the George Eastman Museum, and served as the graphics and marketing communications coordinator for The Corning Museum of Glass. Amanda received an MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from the University of Rochester and George Eastman Museum, an MLS from the University at Buffalo, and a BA in Art History from SUNY Fredonia.

Read an interview with Amanda from DHPSNY News: Fall 2020 (click here to read the full publication).

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Marissa Halderman

Communications Specialist | Pronouns: she, her, hers

As Communications Specialist, Marissa leads Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York's marketing, communications, and outreach efforts—spreading the word about their free programs and services while showcasing the institutions they work with and the fascinating archival collections they help preserve.

Prior to joining the DHPSNY Staff in 2018, Marissa served as a freelance marketing specialist helping individuals and organizations plan, develop, and revamp marketing campaigns and communications strategies.  In addition to her role at DHPSNY, Marissa moonlights as an archivist for her family’s collection of the art and artifacts of her great-grandfather, internationally renowned Croatian-American artist, Maxo Vanka.  She received her BA in Art History and Studio Art at Lafayette College, and is also a practicing multi-media artist.

Liyah Desher

Education & Outreach Specialist | Pronouns: she, her, hers

As Education and Outreach Specialist for DHPSNY, Liyah manages and implements educational programs and outreach services to libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other organizations throughout New York State.

Prior to joining the DHPSNY Staff in 2021, Liyah worked as the Preservation Services Assistant at the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA). She has worked for various collecting institutions such as the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Museum of the American Revolution, and the Free Library of Philadelphia. In 2018, Liyah received a fellowship placement with Drexel University's Urban Sexuality Lab, where she created the LGBTQ Philadelphia Historical Places Database. Liyah earned her BA in Communication and History from Drexel University.