Lea Pandoliano ’16 helps guide your visit through a new national, interactive museum.
Up and Coming: This is the first profile of a new Scene feature that introduces us to alumni doing exciting things early in their careers.
By Kris Dreessen
You may never get a personal invitation to the Oval Office, but at The People’s House: A White House Experience, you don’t need one. Everyone is welcome. And as director of visitor services and experience for the new interactive museum, Lea Pandoliano ’16 is eager to ensure your visit is engaging and educational.
Located just down the block from the actual Executive Mansion in Washington, DC, the The People’s House tells the story of the White House, its inhabitants, and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. Visitors can see a 1:5 model of the South Portico, interact with actors during a simulated State Dinner, and take a seat behind the Resolute Desk in a full-scale replica of the Oval Office. Pandoliano serves behind the scenes, making sure that signage, crowd flow, and other factors allow people to easily navigate through the experiential museum.
“I’m in charge of how people interact with the building, space, and exhibitions,” says Pandoliano. “And I make sure all our information is accessible, so guests understand the historical significance of exhibitions and have the best experience.”
Pandoliano also coordinates group visits, which is operated by the White House Historical Association, founded by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to preserve White House history and provide public education. The interactive museum opened in September 2024.
Pandoliano has had plenty of opportunity to learn how visitors interact with the space. Approximately 4,000 guests visited during the Thanksgiving holiday alone.
“It’s a dynamic workplace,” she says.
Pandoliano took on the new role after working her way up from guest services to operations manager at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.
“My work there opened my eyes to how versatile and significant a place can be to people,” she says. “The cathedral is first and foremost a place of worship, but there are so many stories in its construction and architectural meaning. It’s what attracted me to The People’s House. A lot of times people think just about that executive seat, but the White House is much more than that.”
The People’s Voices portrait gallery is one example, she says. The gallery features nonpolitical staff who have positions integral to the daily workings of the White House but who are rarely thought about, like a security officer, groundskeeper, or usher.
“There’s an official calligrapher,” says Pandoliano. “That’s really cool. I never realized that could be a position, and now people can come and learn all about it. You never know who that might inspire down the road.”
Pandoliano studied sociology at Geneseo, and the path from that to educational tourism makes sense to her.
“Sociology is all about people and movements and how groups of people interact with the world,” she says. “I consider how groups of people are interacting with the exhibitions, what they are seeing, and how they are feeling. My job is to open the doors for them and provide an inclusive environment that allows visitors to find what resonates with them, to let them discover something new.”