2023

Speakers

Rose Soldano

Director of Visitor Services, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution

Rose Soldano is the Director of Visitor Services for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum (NASM). She has dedicated more than 13 years to the Smithsonian, rising through the ranks over a career in the museum field to department director.

Rose first worked with Smithsonian Enterprises before transitioning to Visitor Services. She and her team manage and work closely with all public-facing volunteers at both NASM locations, overseeing the Welcome Centers, coordinating reserved tours and educational programming, and serving as the primary touchpoint between museum personnel and the public.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Rose was a NASM representative on Smithsonian-wide Reopening Committees. She and her team stewarded the launch of virtual volunteering, making the program a Smithsonian-wide initiative which has gained interest both nationally and abroad. She also led timed-entry operations for the Udvar-Hazy Center alongside Visitor Services and Smithsonian Enterprises staff.

In 2021, Rose coordinated Institution-wide Conflict De-escalation and Bystander Intervention training sessions, collaborating with Right to Be, resulting in engagement with over 350 Smithsonian staff. In 2022, Rose gave remarks and served as program moderator during the Smithsonian’s Annual Volunteer Appreciation event with Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III.

Prior to her professional career with the Smithsonian, Rose earned her bachelor’s degree from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, spending part of her collegiate career studying Spanish and Art in Sevilla, Spain.