The Art of Relevance: Mattering More to More People Guest of THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE U.S. Speaker Program. Nina Simon is an author and cultural activist who has been described as a “museum visionary” by Smithsonian Magazine for her community-based approach to design. She has wide-ranging experience as a former NASA engineer, exhibit designer, museum director, change leader, and founder of OF/BY/FOR ALL, a global nonprofit that helps civic and cultural organizations become more inclusive, relevant, and sustainable.Nina is the best-selling author of The Participatory Museum (2010) and The Art of Relevance (2016). Her first novel, Mother-Daughter Murder Night, will be released this September. Nina lives off the grid in Santa Cruz, California with her family.