Brian joined The Connecticut Democracy Center (CTDC) team in 2014 as Head of Education at Connecticut’s Old State House. In this role, he manages the museum’s K-12 school programs and works with a team of educators to create authentic, educational, and participatory experiences that awaken civic engagement and awareness
In 2015, Cofrancesco created Kid Governor®, a statewide civics program for 5th graders which unites CTDC’s mission of teaching civics and history with his personal values of civic participation and engagement. His vision, design and strategic development of the program have resulted in Kid Governor®’s recognition nationally by the National Association of Secretaries of State and the American Association for State and Local History, and the launch of affiliate programs in Oregon and New Hampshire. He currently leads the Connecticut and national Kid Governor® programs.
Prior to CTDC, Cofrancesco worked at the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, and the University of Virginia’s Fralin Museum of Art. He is active in the museum and heritage communities and has served on the Planning Committee for the Connecticut Museum Educator Roundtable, the board of the Meriden Historical Society, and coordinates a Hartford-based museum networking group. He has served on boards and committees for the Connecticut League of History Organizations, Connecticut Humanities, the Connecticut Society of Genealogists, the Center of Connecticut Regional Tourism District, and Kiwanis International. He is a frequent workshop facilitator and keynote speaker in the museum and community service communities, and delivered a keynote address at the New England Museum Association’s 100th Anniversary Conference.
Cofrancesco holds a Bachelors of Architectural History from the University of Virginia. He is co-editor of Falmouth, Jamaica: Architecture as History (2014, University of the West Indies Press).