STAFF

Manager of Educational Programs 
Catherine Carlisle 

Catherine joined the Trust’s staff in 2022. She has previously served as Director of Engagement for both Classical American Homes Preservation Trust and the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA). Catherine’s first introduction to the Trust was as a recipient of an Emerging Scholar grant to present original research at the 2015 Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum. A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Catherine holds degrees in art history from Queens University of Charlotte at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of the 2014 MESDA Summer Institute. Now residing in Charleston, Catherine enjoys spending her free time exploring the rich cultural offerings and historic fabric of her adopted city or letting her spirited husband coax her into joining him and their puppy on new outdoor adventures.

Membership Manager
Jessie Dean

Jessie joined the Trust in 2021. In her role, she ensures that members have a meaningful and enriching connection to the Trust. She has extensive nonprofit experience building and maintaining relationships at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative, and the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey. She received her BA in Art from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX, where she completed extensive coursework in art history and gender studies. Outside of work her industrious nature keeps her busy, enjoying the outdoors with loved ones, running routes with her flag football team, or trying a new technique as a floral designer or baker.

Educational Programs Coordinator
Keely Edgington 

Keely is the newest member of the Decorative Arts Trust, joining in early 2024.  A restauranteur for a decade in Kansas City, she recently moved to Charleston in the summer of 2023 for the rich history the Holy City offers. Keely received her MA in Art History from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her BA in Art and Architectural History from Drury University. After completing her education, she began a career as the Corporate Curator for the Sprint Art Collection which featured an expansive collection of technology-based works. From organizing a local art museum’s yearly gala to fundraising for an art association, supporting the arts has always been important to Keely. When she is not assisting the Educational Programs department at the Trust, Keely enjoys spending time with her family, reading, mudlarking, and rockhounding. 

Communications and Marketing Manager
Sara Long

Sara began her tenure with the Trust in September 2019, traveling to the Fall Symposium in the Berkshires on her seventh work day. She oversees The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust, The Decorative Arts Trust Bulletin, the website, the e-newsletter and email announcements, press releases, social media, and assorted brochures and fliers. Sara’s communications, marketing, and content strategy career has included roles at Chemours, Campbell’s Soup, the International Literacy Association, The Shakespeare Theatre, and the Delaware County Library System. She earned a BA in communications and theatre with a minor in information systems from McDaniel College. Sara enjoys travel and everything arts-related but often can be found bowing to the whims of her husband, son, and cat. 

Educational Programs Assistant
Kelly C. Pedigo

Kelly joined the Trust in 2025. Her first adventure as a staff member took her to the Brandywine Valley and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library where she previously studied as a graduate fellow in the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture. She earned a BA in Historic Preservation with a minor in Digital Studies from the University of Mary Washington and holds an associate’s degree from Germanna Community College. She worked throughout her undergraduate career as a historic interpreter at a smattering of small museums in her hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Most recently she enjoyed a tenure in the National Park Service as a park guide at the White House and President’s Park. Kelly loves bringing her friends together to watch old Westerns, take long road trips, and investigate local historic buildings.

Membership and Grants Coordinator
Emily Serpico

Emily joined the Trust staff in the early spring of 2025 and plays a role in upholding the organization’s mission and connecting with members while helping to ensure that they have meaningful experiences. She previously worked at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with the Delaware Tribe of Indians, and at the Schisler Museum of Natural History & McMunn Planetarium. In 2022, Emily received two undergraduate degrees in Communications and History as well as a Business Writing Certification from East Stroudsburg University. December 2024 saw the completion of her Museum Studies MA at the University of Oklahoma. Emily enjoys spending her free time with loved ones, reading, visiting museums and historical sites, and in cycling classes.

Executive Director
Matthew A. Thurlow

Matt has served the Trust as Executive Director since 2014 and is particularly proud of the growth of the Trust’s Emerging Scholars Program and the growing efforts to improve inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in the decorative arts field. He previously worked at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Matt holds graduate degrees from the Winterthur Program in Early American Culture at the University of Delaware and in historical archeology from the College of William & Mary. He received an undergraduate degree in anthropology and sociology from Washington & Lee University. When not at the office or on the road with Trust members, Matt enjoys spending time with his family and the myriad of activities spurred by his children. 

Art Director
Veronica Miller, Veronica Miller & Associates

Web Manager 
Alex Seigfried

Bookkeeper
Kari Ghezarian

Contributing Writers
Kate Burnett Budzyn, Juliana Fagua Arias, Tammy Hong