40 u n d e r 40
Jed Winokur
Once a touring musician with his
M.S.L.I.S. ’08, information and library science Senior Archive Manager, Coach
punk-rock band, The Ratchets, Winokur transitioned to the study of archive preservation at Pratt, where he was able to work with the Woody Guthrie Archive and the vast collection at the Guggenheim Museum. Later, he oversaw such projects as the creation of an archives program for the Apollo Theatre, an online exhibition for the American Folk Art Museum, as well as managing the archives for the American Academy in Rome’s New York office.
Photo: Coach, Inc.
This eclectic experience prepared him to manage Coach’s tremendous collection of more than 40,000 items.
What do you consider the key to your success? Being personable really is the key to professional advancement. For an archivist I think that also applies to how you speak about and present your collection. What’s the best advice you ever received and who was it from? My grandmother used to say that education is the one thing no one can take away from you. As a child,
what did you want to be when you grew up? I really wanted to be a paleontologist. To this day I still love the hunt for treasure, and really, what is more exciting than dinosaurs? If you could work on anything, what would it be? As long as there are things to organize and people to talk to about the collection, then there is work to be done that makes me happy.
Melissa Woolford M. Arch. ’06, Architecture Founder and Executive Director, Museum of Architecture What do you consider the key to your
She founded Nous in 2006 as an ar-
success? Wanting to make a difference to the world of architecture and working hard. I believe in the work I do, the people I collaborate with, and the projects I put together. What’s the best
chitecture and design gallery and
advice you ever received and who was it
tor of the Museum of Architecture (MoA), which grew out of her work on Nous Gallery from 2006 to 2012.
consultancy, and split it into two sister companies in 2012: Nous Collaborative, which provides archit e ct ur e a n d d e s i g n c o n sult i n g , and MoA, which produces exhibitions and public programs. Nous Engineering was started in 2010 to add another service to what Nous o ff e rs . Lo n d o n - b a s e d Wo o lfo rd also spent three years as an archi-
from? I am reminded of a friend saying, “If it were easy everyone would do it.” This helps me to remember why I am doing the work. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? A history teacher. If you could work on anything, what would it be? Public space projects because they allow people to interact with architecture in new ways and see how exciting it can be. If you could de-
Photo: Melissa Woolford
Woolford is the executive direc-
sign a course for Pratt, what would it be?
Alternative Careers in Architecture.
tectural designer for Zaha Hadid.
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