Meet our new team member!

We’d like to give a big welcome to Dr Anjana Khatwa, our newly-appointed Wessex Engagement Lead. After incredible interest on social media, we had 22 applications for the post, and five candidates were selected for interview.

Kristina Broughton, Wessex Museums Partnership Manager, said; “We were bowled over by the response to the job advert. The candidates were of extremely high calibre, so we had some difficult decisions to make. But we are very excited that Anjana is joining our team at this important moment for our museums and our partnership.”

In this new role, Anjana is responsible for leading strategic learning and engagement for the partnership. This includes working closely with the learning teams to create innovative, inclusive and impactful content that engages underserved audiences. She has a strong focus on professional development, impact evaluation and exploring ways to help overcome barriers to engagement. 

For 15 years, Anjana has worked in the nature conservation and heritage sector leading on creating award-winning sustainable learning and engagement programmes for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. She is an accomplished Earth Scientist and presenter on YouTube and television, having appeared on the BBC, ITV, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and the History Channel.

Anjana is also Vice Chair of the Dorset Race Equality Council and actively champions for equality, diversity and inclusion in the heritage sector.  She is a finalist in the National Diversity Awards 2020 as a Positive Role Model in Race, Religion and Faith. This reflects her work in championing equity in the geosciences, geography and nature conservation sector.  

Anjana said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be joining Wessex Museums. This post will immerse me in a new environment focused on arts and cultural heritage, but with familiar learning outcomes and impacts for audiences. I hope to bring all my passion and knowledge concerning equality, diversity and inclusion into the role to ensure wider and more innovative access to collections and stories that celebrate this special region”.

Here is a link to Anjana’s recent blog for The Heritage Fund, ‘Black and brown faces in green spaces’.