Staff

Alison Caplan - Director

Alison Caplan serves as the Director of the May 4 Visitors Center where she works on exhibitions, programs, and initiatives that aim to make May 4, 1970, relevant to the lives of Kent State students today. After joining Kent State in 2023, she curated the exhibition Graphic Content: Comics of May 4.

Prior to joining Kent State, Alison served as Director of Education at the National First Ladies Library in Canton, Ohio and Director of Education at the Akron Art Museum. She earned a B.A. in Art History with honors at Oberlin College, an M.A. in Art History and Museum Studies at Case Western Reserve University, and an M.S. in Education at the University of Akron.

Alison is a founding, creative team member of the Nightlight Cinema, Akron’s first independent movie theater. She was named Ohio Art Education Association’s museum educator of the year for 2016. She has presented at the National Art Education Association Conference, Ohio Museums Association Conference, and the School Readiness Summit.

Chloe Wingard - Assistant Director

Chloe Wingard joined the May 4 Visitors Center as the Assistant Director in September 2024, just in time to jump into fall semester tours, fundraising campaigns, and exhibit installations. She has a passion for local history, community outreach, and visitor experience that she’s excited to bring to Kent State.

Prior to the May 4 Visitors Center, Chloe served as the Assistant Curator at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, and focused on researching, writing, and installing exhibits. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Masters of Library and Information Science with a concentration in Museum Studies, both from Kent State University.

Student Staff

The Center employs Kent State students to give tours and engage with visitors. They lead hundreds of tours per year, most of them for first-year experience classes. Our student employees study hard to learn how to share the context, legacy, and spirit of May 4, and often take on projects to add to the visitor experience.