ADJUSTED HOURS APRIL 5TH: Closed 9:30AM-1:00PM for private event. Open for all 1:00PM-4:00PM.

Traci joins the museum after 18 years of service in the Akron Public School system and most recently as program officer at GAR Foundation, the largest private charitable foundation in Akron. Buckner is the founding instructional leader of the National Inventors Hall of Fame School…Center for STEM Learning and most recently served as Director of Specialty Programs.

She is also an author and has co-authored the book STEM Leadership, a guide on creating a STEM culture in a school or district. Prior to her educational career, she worked in corporate marketing and sales. Buckner has served as a guest panelist at the Athena Leadership Forum, The Ashland University Leadership Academy Seminar, and the Akron Roundtable. She is a member of Leadership Akron and currently serves on the United Way of Summit County Board of Directors. She was featured in Akron Life magazine as one of the city’s 2015 change makers and was a recipient of the Women of STEM Rising Amongst the Stars award from the Ohio Black Women’s Leadership Caucus. Buckner received a Master’s in education from John Carroll University and Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from The Ohio State University. She also earned an instructional leadership administrative certificate from Ashland University. She resides in Akron with her husband, Tobin and their two sons.

Kat Dunlap has always held a passion for hands-on learning through discovery and exploration. As an alumna of the University of Akron, she began her career as a Middle School science teacher. Kat left classroom teaching in 2015 to join the education team at Holden Arboretum. Working in a diverse outdoor setting cemented Kat’s love for informal learning. From there, her journey in the museum world took her across the country to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where she taught and developed educational programs ranging from Lego Robotics, to Animation, Space Geology, Volcanology, and more.

Kat joined Akron Children’s Museum in 2021. As the head of the education team at ACM, Kat is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of ACM’s educational content and curriculum. In addition, Kat is also responsible for coordinating the Head Start - Mobile Museum in a Box program, as well as the Kindergarten Essential Experiences Field Study: Explore Galore with Monsters and More, for Akron Public Schools. When she’s not at the museum, you can find her outside in all seasons, enjoying the tranquility of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park! Kat and her family are proud to call Akron their home.

Susan has always had a passion for creating special events. This passion, along with the desire to create an educational and enjoyable environment for children and their families, fits perfectly for her at the Akron Children's Museum. She brings to the museum experience of organizing events for the community and for her own local organizations where she is a member.
She graduated from the Akron Public Schools and the University of Akron. Born and raised in Akron, she and her husband, Loman, reside in the Ellet community of Akron. They are parents to two sons. Susan looks forward to meeting families at the museum as they enjoy the special events she has planned.

Maggie Spangler was the founding exhibit designer for the Akron Children's Museum. She has had many roles for ACM since 2013, but Maggie is currently responsible for exhibit planning and development. She is the owner of Warehouse Eight (an exhibit and graphic design company), and has a Master of Fine Arts degree in Museum Exhibition Planning and Design from The University of the Arts. She has been a volunteer and intern at multiple museums and historical societies including The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, and The North Canton Heritage Society. Maggie lives in Copley with her family.