Esmeralda Salinas, Executive Director

Esmeralda has worked for over 8 years in museums and galleries throughout the Houston area, most notably at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She holds a BA in Art History graduating with Honors from the University of Houston Main Campus and was awarded the Provost Undergraduate Research Scholarship which allowed her to undertake research on objects at The Oriental Institute of Chicago tying examples of Iranian art and their interpretations in film and modern art. She earned her joint MA in Art History and Museum Studies degrees at the University of Essex in Colchester, England achieving the honor of Merit. Her research focused on collective memory of public trauma in Chile and its expression through art and film. She has written several published papers on art and memory as well as given presentations at conferences on the subject. In addition to her career in the museum and gallery field, she also taught as a secondary English teacher for five years. Esmeralda has worked collaboratively with artist groups, curators, galleries, and non-profit organizations since 2012. She now weaves her knowledge of museum studies, development, curating, research, writing, marketing, innovative thinking, and teaching to her position as Executive Director.  

Kayla Clark is a naturalist and an environmental educator who previously taught at the Alabama 4-H Science School, the New York Aquarium, and the University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, and an M.A. in biology from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Since 2017, she has been organizing educational events for adults and families as the public programs coordinator for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. She uses art, scientific inquiry, storytelling, history, and games to connect learners of all ages with nature in their local places. Kayla has assisted with field research that enriches her science teaching, including surveys of gray whales, conch, lionfish, soft corals, shorebirds, seagrass, black gill in shrimp, marine debris, and phytoplankton. She recently moved to Palacios, Texas where she is excited to learn from her new neighbors. Kayla looks forward to engaging children in celebrating the ecosystem they are a part of during family programming events at the City by the Sea Museum.