Michele A. Parchment is Brandywine Workshop and Archives’ Executive Director. She joined BWA in August 2023, succeeding Founder Allan L. Edmunds.

Parchment’s extensive résumé includes more than 30 years working with nonprofit and for-profit organizations in arts and museum management and as a senior supervisor for public engagement and educational programming, visitor and volunteer services, collections, exhibitions, cultural festivals, and community initiatives. She has worked with influential museums across the United States, and has served in leadership roles in developing and opening new facilities at the Sarasota Art Museum, FL; Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture, Charlotte, NC; Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, MI; and Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture in Baltimore, MD. She began her career in the arts at the Studio Museum in Harlem, NY, and was registrar/consultant with Diversity Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator (DVCAI), Miami, before joining BWA. 

Parchment earned her BA in liberal arts from Excelsior University, Albany, NY; MA in history from American Public University, Charles Town, WV; and an advanced certificate in nonprofit leadership from Duke University, Durham, NC. 

In her words, “As our global communities continue to grow, it is important as a cultural professional that I share my experiences by continuing to bring diverse communities together. We all learn differently; we all see the world from various lenses. Through educational and cultural institutions, we are given the opportunity to explore, experience, enhance, enrich, and share our diverse histories, cultures, and values.”