Congratulations to Verónica E. Betancourt, Ph.D for being chosen by AAEP graduate students to receive the 2026 Marantz Distinguished Alumni Award. The Marantz Distinguished Alumni Lecture Fund was established in 1999 with gifts from Harold and Kenneth Marantz to honor a distinguished alum of the program. Dr. Betancourt will be honored at the 2026 Barkan & Marantz Award Celebration. 

Dr. Betancourt is a museum consultant with expertise in interpretation, evaluation, and strategic planning. She began her museum career in 2007 in curatorial at the National Gallery of Art in DC. Since then, her scholarship and practice have spanned museum education, visitor studies, and curatorial. She has won national and international awards for culturally responsive research and program strategy. Dr. Betancourt's work has been supported by fellowships from the American Alliance for Museums and the Smithsonian Latino Center (LMSP ’13).
 
Before launching her consultancy, Dr. Betancourt was the interim Chief Education Officer and Director of Interpretation at the Baltimore Museum of Art. She has led or overseen interpretation for more than 100 exhibitions or collection presentations and enjoys building collaborative, sustainable, and inclusive interpretive planning processes. Dr. Betancourt earned her Ph.D. and M.A. in Art Education from The Ohio State University and her B.A. in Art History from Swarthmore College.