Education & Training Committee

Alexa is a Paintings Conservator at Midwest Art Conservation Center. Ms. Beller joined MACC after completing a National Endowment for the Humanities Paintings Conservation Fellowship at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. Prior, she completed internships at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Gianfranco Pocobene Studio, the department of the Conservation of Religious and Civil Art of the City of Paris, the Western Center for the Conservation of Fine Arts, and in the private practice of Ria German-Carter. Her experience is wide-ranging including Italian Renaissance panels, 19th-century French murals, early American portraits, and 20th-century mixed media paintings. Ms. Beller holds a Master of Science in Conservation from the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation as well as a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is a Professional Member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works and the Paintings Specialty Group.

Morgan Browning is a Senior Conservator at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, DC, where he has worked since 2006. In addition to bench work at NARA, Morgan has been involved in internal working groups, public outreach activities, exhibitions, intern training, and the Magna Carta Reencasement Project. Outside of NARA, he maintains a private practice serving various individuals, galleries, and institutions. Before joining NARA, Morgan was employed at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in Philadelphia. He holds a BA in art history from Indiana University and received graduate degrees in art history and art conservation from the University of Virginia and Queen’s University, respectively. He completed his pre-program training in Washington, DC, between 1997-2001 at the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, National Geographic Society, Nishio Conservation, and with paintings conservator Bettina Jessell. Morgan is a Professional Member of AIC and serves as the BPG Program Chair for the upcoming 2023 Annual Meeting. He is also a member of the Washington Conservation Guild, where he served as a board director from 2007-2008. Morgan was awarded Accredited Conservator-Restorer (ACR) status by the Institute of Conservation (ICON) in June 2022.

Jessica Chasen is an Objects Conservator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Alex B. Lim specializes in the conservation of architecture and archaeological sites and is based in Arizona. Since 2012, he has worked on conserving earthen buildings and their remains in the border region of the U.S.-Mexico, focusing on Hispanic and Native American heritage on both sides of the border. He is particularly engaged with Tohono O'odhams, Pascua Yaquis and Seris, who also call the Sonoran Desert their home. Prior to Arizona, he has worked on archeological sites of the arid climate in the U.S. Southwest and in the Mediterranean/Middle East. They include Mesa Verde National Park, El Morro National Monument in the U.S. as well as sites in Gordion, Turkey; Oglanqala, Azerbaijan; and Megalopolis, Greece. As a conservator, he is educated and has experience in environmental monitoring, site recording, conditions assessment, and intervention. Through close working relationships with indigenous people at respective sites, he has insights into and appreciation for sustainable conservation practice that is particularly needed in times of Climate Change and in traditional societies experiencing societal and cultural pressure for adaptation. In 2009, he won Anthony Nichola Brady Garvan outstanding thesis award for his study on the use of soil and vegetation to protect the exposed masonry wall tops at archaeological sites. Called soft vegetative caps, his study highlighted a sustainable alternative to crack-prone cementitious hard caps. His method, developed during his time at the Center for Architectural Conservation at the University of Pennsylvania, was applied at the archaeological site of Gordion, Turkey with help from the community. He regularly initiates public outreach and student mentorship through hands-on workshops, tours, and internship programs to advocate for heritage stewardship. He speaks fluent Korean and conversational Turkish and Spanish. He holds MS in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania and BA in natural sciences from the Johns Hopkins University.

Margaret (Maggie) Wessling is a Senior Photograph Conservator at the National Gallery of Art. Maggie graduated from the Conservation Center at NYU in 2014 with a specialization in photographs. She previously worked at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Northeast Document Conservation Center since completing her conservation degree.

Bio coming soon

Sarah joined FAIC in September 2015 to support the array of professional development and scholarship programming offered by the Foundation. Sarah graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2014 with a MA in Museum Studies. She has worked with a variety of arts organizations including Levine Music, Hillwood Museum, Estate and Gardens, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, and Bay Area Discovery Museum. She holds a BFA in Art Education from the University of Arizona, with a studio emphasis in photography. Sarah currently lives in Oslo, Norway, and enjoys the outdoors - especially with her beagle, Dexter.