SAN DIEGO – August xx, 2022 – Julia McMeans has been appointed executive director of ArtsBusXpress, a local nonprofit that provides on-site and virtual field trip experiences for San Diego County K-12 students to scores of local arts and science venues.

            “We are grateful to The Conrad Prebys Foundation, which gave us a $40,000 grant specifically to help us hire an executive director to ensure our long-term sustainability and growth,” said Ted Peña, president of the board of directors.

            Peña said, “We are delighted to welcome Julia aboard the ArtsBusXpress to lead our team in the years ahead.  Julia brings an abundance of knowledge and success in fundraising and developing educational programs for the K-12 community from her experience at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum.  Her knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to enriching student learning in the arts and sciences give us confidence that Julia will hit the ground running.  She’s the perfect fit for us,” he said.

            For the past 10 years, McMeans has led museum education departments.  Most recently, she was director of education at the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, where she developed STEAM for SCHOOL, three elementary and middle school programs that significantly increased the museum’s school audience and garnered $150,000 in grant funding.

            Previously, McMeans was assistant director of education and interim director of learning

programs at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology,

(Penn Museum) where she was responsible for the oversite of a large education department that hosts 40,000 students annually. 

            She is a curriculum content producer and former teacher.  She holds a master’s degree in education from Chestnut Hill College and a bachelor’s degree in English from Temple University, both in Philadelphia.

           Celebrating its 20th anniversary, ABX has provided more than 200,000 students “a ride to the arts and sciences” since its inception.  The program is available to more than 530,000 children in the 42 school districts in San Diego County.  Many of the field trips are wholly or substantially underwritten by donations to ArtsBusXpress.

           ArtsBusXpress coordinates field trips with almost all the major museums and performing arts organizations in San Diego County, as well as funding unique field trips to places like Lake Poway, La Jolla Cove and the Torrey Pines coast to learn more about our local geography, plants and animals.