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Bring the history of Southwest Florida to you with the Collier County Museums Speakers Bureau! The Collier County Museums are home to a passionate group of museum professionals who possess extensive knowledge on a variety of topics about our region’s history and culture. We look forward to sharing our love and knowledge of Collier County with you.
Collier County Museums Speakers Bureau lectures are perfect for your organization, community, club, or class. Lectures are typically 45 minutes to 1 hour in length. They are available for free, although donations via check made out to the Collier County Museums are gratefully accepted. A minimum of 1 month notice before your preferred lecture date is required. While we cannot guarantee that your preferred date can be accommodated, we are happy to work with you to find alternatives.
Learn about our speakers and the topics they offer below or by downloading the Collier County Museums Speakers Bureau catalog linked right.
Ready to book a speaker? Email Curator of Education Elaina Gyure at Elaina.Gyure@colliercountyfl.gov with the following information: Your name, the organization you represent, preferred lecture date/and or time (if applicable), location where the lecture will take place, the topic/speaker you are interested in
Amanda Oswald Townsend has served her community in Collier County government for 21 years. She held various roles in the Public Services Department before becoming Director of Museums in 2016. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from New College of Florida and a Master of Arts in American Studies from the University of Alabama. Her professional and academic interests are in place studies and material culture, with a focus on Florida and the Twentieth Century.
Elaina Gyure has been with the Collier County Museum system since 2018 and currently serves as the Curator of Education, where she manages educational programming for all five museums. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History and Historic Preservation from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, a master’s in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester, and a master’s in Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida. She has lived in southwest Florida since she was 4 years old and has a deep love for the region’s history and culture and sharing it with residents and visitors of all stripes.
Thomas Lockyear has been a museum professional for 17 years, having served as curator of the Key West Shipwreck Treasures Museum and at Historic Pigeon Key, as well as Executive Director of the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada before accepting his current position as Manager of Museum of the Everglades in Everglades City. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison (BS Art), Mr. Lockyear also holds a master’s degree from Florida Gulf Coast University (MA Ed).
Helen Midney is the museum manager for the Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Bowdoin College in Maine. After working as an educator, college access counselor and environmental interpreter, she went on to earn her Master’s degree in Environmental Studies with a focus in Education from Florida Gulf Coast University. Helen is a resident of Immokalee and loves sharing her community and its history with locals and visitors alike.
Lisa Marciano has grown up frequenting museums and historic sites throughout her adolescence. Her love of history and historic structures eventually transformed into a career and for the last 13 years she has worked with Collier County Museums in many capacities such as volunteer, Museum Assistant and Museum Manager. Lisa is currently the Museum Manager at the Naples Depot Museum. She holds a bachelor’s degree in History with a minor in Sociology/Anthropology and a master’s degree in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Lisa is also a long-term resident of Collier County and appreciates our local history.
Rebecca Mazeroski is the Museum Manager for the Marco Island Historical Museum since 2020. She has an MBA in Museum Exhibition Planning from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. She has previously worked with the Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum, Interpret Green Design Studio, The Clay Studio, and The Yager Museum.