National September 11 Memorial & Museum Leadership

Organizational bio: Allison Blais is the Chief Operating Officer and Board Secretary at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. She is also the co-author of "A Place of Remembrance," the official book of the organization published by National Geographic.

Blais has worked on the World Trade Center rebuilding for 12 years, serving as the organization's Senior Advisor for Strategy and Operations and then Chief of Staff for eight years through the planning, building, operational ramp-up, and opening of both the Memorial and the Museum, and prior to that in the Chairman's and President's offices of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the agency charged with planning the rebuilding and revitalization of lower Manhattan in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

As COO of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Blais has direct leadership responsibility for all day-to-day operations of the institution, including oversight of visitor services, security, retail, admissions & sales, revenue & business analytics, facilities, design & construction, and information technology. She plays a leadership role on priority matters across the organization, providing guidance and insight into strategic planning, memorial and museum planning and programming, events, policy development, public affairs, and the enhancement of internal organizational processes, people, systems, and infrastructure to allow the 9/11 Memorial to continue to grow and fulfill its mission. The 9/11 Memorial welcomes over 6 million people a year.

Before her work downtown, Blais managed capital projects for major cultural institutions and construction companies throughout New York City and worked at the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival.

Blais graduated Summa cum laude from Cornell University, where she currently serves on the President's Council of Cornell Women, and received a master's degree in American Studies from Columbia University.

She lives in lower Manhattan with her husband and daughter.

Josh Cherwin is a Chief Advancement Officer & Deputy Director for Institutional Advancement at National September 11 Memorial & Museum and is based in New York City, New York. He has worked as Special Advisor at Office of the Honorable Al Gore; SVP, Institutional Advancement at National September 11 Memorial & Museum; and Director of Institutional Advancement at National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Josh studied at Milton Academy between 1992 and 1996 and Georgetown University between 1996 and 2000.

Jan Ramirez is a Chief Curator at National September 11 Memorial & Museum and is based in New, York. He has worked as Museum Director and Vice President at NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY. Jan studied at Boston University between 1976 and 1985 and DARTMOUTH COLLEGE.