Michelle D. Novak, MI
m@mnd.nyc | 917 363 1521 | linkedin.com/in/michnovak
MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS | BRAND + DESIGN | CULTURAL HERITAGE | RESEARCH + PUBLIC HISTORY
Marketing and communications professional with more than 25 years of experience developing brands, campaigns, websites, publications, educational materials, and audience-focused communications for nonprofit, cultural, educational, and mission-driven organizations.
I combine brand strategy, graphic and web design, content development, writing, and digital communications with professional expertise in archives, research, collections, digitization, and public history. I translate complex historical, educational, scientific, and organizational information into clear, engaging stories and visual communications, managing projects from strategy and concept through content, design, production, and delivery.
The result is a communications and design professional who helps cultural heritage organizations reach new audiences, tell compelling stories, and make their work more visible and accessible.
MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS
Brand Strategy + Visual Communications • Marketing + Digital Communications • Content Strategy + Editorial Development • Email Marketing + Audience Engagement • Website Development + Content • Social Media • Print + Web Design • Project Management + Creative Production
CULTURAL HERITAGE + PUBLIC HISTORY
Historical + Genealogical Research • Archives + Collections • Digitization + Digital Access • Metadata + Descriptive Data • Exhibitions + Interpretation • Public History • Educational Programming • Grant-Funded Projects • Community Outreach
Education
Master of Information (MI, formerly MLIS degree), Archives and Preservation
Rutgers University, School of Communication and Information
May 2022, summa cum laude (3.95 GPA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Graphic Design and Illustration
Rhode Island School of Design
Professional Experience + Selected Projects
MND [M Novak Design, Inc.] | Founder and President | Present
Provide integrated marketing, communications, design, research, and information-management services to nonprofit, educational, cultural heritage, philanthropic, and commercial organizations.
- Develop brands, communications strategies, campaigns, websites, publications, presentations, educational materials, and digital content.
- Translate complex historical, educational, scientific, financial, and organizational information into clear, audience-focused communications.
- Develop visual identities, templates, content systems, and digital assets across print and online channels.
- Partner directly with organizational leaders and clients to define goals, develop concepts, manage projects, and deliver final materials.
- Manage projects from strategy and content development through design, production, and delivery.
Selected Recent Projects
- History Camp (2014–present)
Conference promotional materials, website, and communications for educational history events; Developed and manage an online archive of more than 250 recorded presentations, free and open to the public.
- The Pursuit of History for America’s 250th (2023–2028)
Conference promotional materials, website, event materials for a series of bespoke history events tracing the major events of the Revolutionary War where they happened. - New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (2017–2023)
Branding, publications, digital, exhibit materials
Designed and produced (print and digital) the New York State Archives Guide, a 530-page guide documenting major collections of the New York State Archives, their organization and contents, with examples and best practices for understanding and accessing records. Recipient of the 2025 National Genealogical Society (NGS) Award for Excellence.
Select Clients
- The City of New York
- Clinton Foundation / Clinton Global Initiative
- Corporation for Supportive Housing
- Fordham University School of Law
- Genealogical Society of New Jersey
- Haverford Trust Company
- The History List—Rare Finds
- National Genealogical Society
- New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
- Pilgrim Hall Museum
- Psionic LLC
- The Pursuit of History / History Camp
- RAPID Manufacturing Institute
- Science Philanthropy Alliance
- Seth Kaller, Inc., Historic Documents & Legacy Collections
Cultural Heritage, Research, and Public History
(Selected organizations, projects, and clients.)
Bergen County Historical Society
Trustee + Membership Chair | Present
Supports organizational membership, events, educational programming, and public-facing work
Collection Processing + Digitization | 2023
Procured, processed, cataloged, and digitized more than 500 items of Bergen County family papers, ca. 1730–1940.
The History List—Rare Finds
Collection Development, Digitization + Conservation | Present
Contribute to collection development, procurement, digitization, stabilization, conservation, and framing of original manuscripts, prints, and decorative art for a collector and dealer.
[Private Clients]
Archival Consulting + Management | Present
Provide inventory, organization, assessment, research, and institutional liaison services for archival, manuscript, art, and historical collections. Coordinate with collecting institutions and auction houses to identify appropriate destinations for significant historical materials.
Genealogical Society of Bergen County, New Jersey (GSBC)
Vice President + Programming Chair / Webmaster / Editor / Grant Project Chair | 2013–Present
- Develop and promote educational programs and public events focused on local, family, and American history.
- Edit and write articles for The Archivist, a nationally recognized, award-winning publication.
- Manage website content and communications supporting programs, publications, grants, and organizational initiatives.
- Conceived and produced “Bergen County in Six Objects,” a grant-funded project discovering, digitizing, transcribing, and documenting previously unknown primary-source materials.
New-York Historical
Archive Processing Intern | 2022
- Processed physical and digital archival collections and contributed to finding aids, blog content, and K–12 educational materials.
- Worked with the Records of the Victorian Society of New York and Crown–Ketterer Family Papers, including previously unknown Ketterer & Co. materials, an early New York City automobile body designer and manufacturer of which very little is known.
Genealogical Society of New Jersey / New Jersey State Archives
Grant Administrator, New Jersey Early Land Records Project | 2016–2020
Grant supported work involving more than 80,000 pre-1800 land records from more than 60 collections.
- Managed grant administration, publicity, and articles for a major collaborative historical records project.
- Coordinated communications and project information for stakeholders, funders, and the public.
- Project received major funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) and The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey, in addition to organizations, corporations, and private donors.
Genealogical Society of New Jersey
Trustee, Co-Publications Editor, + Webmaster | 2015–2019
- Relaunched the organization’s website, quarterly newsletter, and publications; developed website content and research guides.
- Converted more than 30 collection finding aids into searchable files and databases.
- Created a 35,000+ row database for the society’s Bible records collection, processing more than 70 years of printed indexes into digital data.
- Digitized and enhanced access to historical collections through OCR, data normalization, indexing, and database development.
Society of American Archivists, Students and New Archives Professionals Section
Vice-Chair / Chair / Steering Committee Member | 2020–2023
Chaired the Section, developed strategy, managed section business, oversaw educational events, produced at least six webinars, and coordinated events and communications across related sections.
Museum of Chinese in America Archives
Disaster Recovery Team Volunteer | 2020
Cataloged and processed items recovered from the fire- and water-damaged historic building that housed the museum’s archival collections.
Speaking + Education
Lecturer and workshop leader on historical research, collections organization and preservation, digitization, archival preservation, and technology. Presentation venues include the National Genealogical Society Family History Conference, New Jersey State Library, New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, New York Public Library, History Camp Boston, Museum of Chinese in America, and county historical and genealogical societies.
Developed and delivered corporate workshops in Microsoft PowerPoint and Word for organizations including AON, Haverford Trust, SEI, and the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Previous Professional Experience
Vignelli Associates, New York, NY | Brand and Graphic Designer
Arnold Saks & Associates, New York, NY | Senior Designer, Annual Reports and Branding
Donovan & Green/Marchfirst, New York, NY | Brand and Web Designer
Waters Design Associates, Inc., New York, NY | Brand and Web Designer
Sotheby’s, New York, NY | Graphic Designer
George Tscherny, Inc., New York, NY | Graphic Designer
Jim Henson Productions, New York, NY | Graphic Designer
Awards and Honors
National Genealogical Society Awards of Excellence for Writing and Editing (2017, 2019, 2022)
International Society of Family History Writers and Editors Awards of Excellence (2017, 2018)
National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Michael T. and Mary L. Cloyd Scholarship (2021)
Technology and Skills
- Adobe Creative Cloud (advanced InDesign, Photoshop, Bridge, Acrobat, forms formatting) / Canva
- Microsoft Office (advanced Word, PowerPoint) / Google Workspace / Keynote
- WordPress CMS / Squarespace + Wix / CSS / HTML
- Video Editing and Management (Vimeo / YouTube)
- Microsoft SharePoint (design and formatting)
- ArchivesSpace / Omeka / PastPerfect / Digital asset management systems
- Metadata strategy and application
- Digitization and retouching