Mai Nhia Vang Huizel

Mai Nhia Vang Huizel has a diverse range of work experience in the museum and historical society field. Mai Nhia Vang began their career in 2010 as a Curator at the Minnesota Discovery Center. In 2014, they joined the Minnesota Historical Society as a Development Assistant. From there, they held various roles including Interim Executive Director and Museum Administrator at the Richfield Historical Society.

In 2014, they also founded and served as the Chair of the Board of Directors at the Hmong Museum, where they later became the Interim Executive Director in 2019.

Mai then moved to the Minnesota Museum of American Art in 2015, starting as a Collections Manager before becoming a Registrar and eventually the Registrar of Collections and Archives. During their tenure there, they also worked as a Digital Collections Consultant and Tech at the Edina Historical Society.

Additionally, they worked as a Collections Management Consultant at the Somali Museum of Minnesota from 2014 to 2016.

Currently, Mai serves as the Volunteer and Intern Program Manager at the Minnesota Historical Society since July 2022, where they were previously a Program Specialist in Volunteers & Interns since May 2021.

Mai Nhia Vang Huizel completed their Bachelor's degree at the University of Minnesota from 2001 to 2005. During this time, they studied Anthropology, Women's Studies, and also pursued a minor in Asian American Studies. Later, from 2006 to 2010, they attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and obtained a Master of Science - MS degree in Anthropology.