Museum Leadership Team

Leadership

Mary Pat Higgins, President and CEO

Higgins leads the Museum’s strategic direction to advance its mission and long-term impact. Working closely with the Board of Directors, she oversees operations, financial stewardship, fundraising, and educational impact. Under her leadership since 2013, the Museum embarked on a significant transition as it moved from its previous space to a new, permanent home, which opened September 2019. Prior to her role at the Museum, Higgins served as Associate Head and Chief Financial Officer at The Hockaday School in Dallas. She currently serves on the boards of North Dallas Bank & Trust, The Hockaday School, and Thanks-Giving Foundation, and is a member of Charter 100, The Dallas Assembly, and the International Women’s Forum-Dallas. She earned a B.A. in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, is a CPA, and a graduate of the SMU Cox School of Business Executive MBA Program.

Sara Abosch-Jacobson, Ph.D. – Barbara Rabin Chief Education Officer

A professional historian, Abosch-Jacobson is responsible for all content-related matters at the Museum. In this role, she oversees education, learning and curriculum, library and archives, public programs, special exhibitions, and core exhibition updates. She has extensive university teaching experience and holds a Ph.D. in Modern European and Jewish History, an M.A. in British History, and an M.A. in Political Science with a concentration in Civil/Military Relations. Before joining the Museum in 2012, she was the David Bornblum Visiting Scholar in Judaic Studies at the University of Memphis. Abosch-Jacobson serves on the advisory board of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration.

Jessica Whitt Garner – Chief Advancement and External Affairs Officer

A highly experienced development and public relations professional, Garner joined the Museum in 2021 and oversees fundraising, marketing and communications, and guest services. Previously, she was with SMU Meadows School of the Arts, where she led fundraising efforts for annual operations, endowment funding, and capital improvements. She was an early staff member of the AT&T Performing Arts Center from groundbreaking through opening, serving in key roles in fundraising, external affairs, and special events. She earned her B.B.A. in marketing with academic honors from The University of Texas at Austin. Garner serves on the board of Second Thought Theatre and is a sustainer of the Junior League of Dallas.

Hannah Orth, CPA – Chief Financial Officer

Orth joined the Museum in 2022 and oversees budgeting and forecasting, human resources, and risk management, as well as the strategic direction of the Museum’s financial health. Previously, she was a project manager at Brian Schiff & Associates, LLC. She began her career in the Dallas office of Deloitte & Touch, LLP, starting as an auditor and leaving as an Advisory Senior Consultant in the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions department. Orth serves as the Secretary of the board for both Dogslife, a nonprofit organization that she helped found in 2018, and Greenspace Dallas. Hannah earned her B.A. in Commerce and Business and her M.S. in Accountancy from Rhodes College.