By Menachem Wecker
Conventional wisdom often holds that a humanities degree isn't a practical career stepping stone. It's a stereotype that Joanna Rothman is quick to dismiss.
“You’d be surprised how often an art history degree comes in handy,” says Ms. Rothman, M.A. ’01, who is volunteer and marketing manager at the Boston-based public television and radio station WGBH.
Ms. Rothman, who manages 5,000 volunteers and several programs at WGBH, taught art history at the Boston Center for Adult Education for several years after earning a degree in the subject at GW. “But since I’ve been at WGBH, I’ve found that I call upon my degree nearly every day,” she says. “Whether I’m giving a presentation or discussing the latest Antiques Roadshow findings, I draw on my studies at GW.”
One of the things Ms. Rothman enjoys most about her job is that there is no average day, she says. On a recent day, her schedule included leading a studio tour for prospective donors, creating a new Facebook group and presenting on social media strategy to a group of executive directors of nonprofits in Boston. “Each day is different,” she says. “I’m never bored!”
Ms. Rothman also tweets sometimes @WGBHjoanna about the WGBH lobby gift shop, which she runs. She says her social media use is atypical for her field, but she tends not to be intimidated by the prospect of diving headfirst into new technologies. “I definitely notice a split among generations,” she says. “I don’t see a lot of nonprofit workers in volunteer management using social networking to recruit volunteers, but we’ve made a great success of it connecting with a lot of new people we may never have interacted with in the past.”
Previously, Ms. Rothman was manager of volunteer programs and internships at the New England Aquarium, where she got to meet 1,000 volunteers each of the three years she was there. “I was also privileged to work with amazing co-workers, who taught me a lot about the world of water,” she says. “The penguins were one of my favorite animals, and my favorite exhibit was the Edge of the Sea, where visitors could see animals close up and touch sea stars, sea cucumbers and other shore fish and animals.”
After studying psychology and art history as an undergraduate at Brandeis University, where she spent her junior year abroad in Italy, Ms. Rothman decided she wanted to pursue a career in the arts. She interned for a semester at the Brooklyn Museum of Art and then applied to GW’s art history master’s program.
“It was one of the most intellectual, challenging and rewarding times in my life,” she says, adding that she will always hold her coursework with the late professor Melvin Lader on Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky dear. She also remembers the “fabulous experience” of studying Renaissance and Baroque art with Barbara von Barghahn for two semesters.
While enrolled at GW, Ms. Rothman took a part-time position as a museum assistant at the Phillips Collection, where she “proceeded to guard the paintings every Friday with gusto.” Six months later, she spoke with the education department about her GW internship requirement, and within two weeks, she had the paid position of public programs and tour coordinator. “I’ve always said that I landed my job at the Phillips with a bit of luck and a bit of talent,” she says.
Ms. Rothman is currently pursuing a certificate in nonprofit management and leadership at Boston University’s management school, because she says training in management and leadership is important.
She remains optimistic about the future of public broadcasting. “WGBH is thriving,” she says. “We just recently acquired a new radio station, 99.5, so we’re now running Boston’s only all-classical music station.” (Visit our Facebook page to learn how the all-classical station was the matchmaker that conceived this article.) Additionally, WGBH has an NPR news station on 89.7 Boston, and it produces more than a third of PBS’ primetime and children’s lineup, she says.
“I continue to be impressed by the quality of Nova, Frontline, American Experience, Curious George, Arthur and the other shows we produce for both a local and national audience.