Chloe Doucette

Note: This is one in a series of spotlights on MOI staff members who have been named a “Keefer Fellow,” a monthly program aimed at recognizing staffers for their contributions to the museum and the community. This month, a leader with a dual title: Sr. Director of Programs and Engagement and Director of Education.

Q: Explain what you do at the museum in 20 words or less.

Chloe: I get people excited to learn about things they knew they wanted to learn, things they didn’t know they wanted to learn, and things they didn’t even know they didn’t know they wanted to learn. [Editor’s note: So you don’t have to count, this is 35 words.]

Q: What’s a museum-related accomplishment that you’re particularly proud of?

Chloe: I’m very proud of the Way Out West exhibit, not only because I got to play a role in making it come to life, but also because I got to see my amazing colleagues shine while they did the same. I’m also very proud of the time that I successfully untangled a bunch of marionettes that we put on display for a seasonal exhibit. It took several years in a row of working on those things. No joke.

Q: What do you do for fun?

Chloe: I play the bass in a two-man band with my brother, I play a lot of board games, and I go outside with my family.

Q: What would you do for a career if you weren’t doing this (and if money were no object)?

Chloe: Honestly…I would do this. This is my dream job. If money were no object, though, I would do nothing and stay home with my 5-year-old and watch her do all the funny things she does every day.

Q: What’s the weirdest / most interesting past job you’ve had?

Chloe: I taught swimming lessons to small children, which basically means that I dealt with a lot of bodily fluids on a regular basis. That was weird.

Q: Name a setback in your life that has ended up being a good thing.

Chloe: Five years ago, my husband and I were living in our dream house in Pocatello and I was commuting to Idaho Falls for my job at the museum. I should be more specific; we were renting our dream house. We made an offer to the owners to purchase it because they were interested in selling, but they ultimately chose to continue renting it for longer. At the time, I was pregnant with my daughter, so when we couldn’t buy the house we were in love with in Poky, we just made the decision to move to Idaho Falls. I’m glad that I don’t have to be away from my family for those extra two hours now. If you’re selling a stunning, historic craftsman with a big front porch, though, please call me.

Q: What’s something – large or small, useful or not – that you’re really good at?

Chloe: Screaming. I could be in a horror film.

Q: What were you like in high school?

Chloe: A weird nerd, so the same as now. Lol.

Q: What’s your favorite book, movie, and TV show?

Chloe: For the record, I’d like to say that this is an impossible question. I refuse to answer the question as is, and instead, will share several.

If I was going to tell you out loud what my favorite book is, then I would probably either say All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque or Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut, but everyone who knows me really knows that it is a seven-way tie between all the Harry Potter books.

My favorite movies are two old musicals — Singin’ in the Rain and Sun Valley Serenade.

My favorite TV shows currently airing are What We Do in the Shadows and The Great, but Adventure Time will always hold a special place in my heart.

Q: Tell us something about you that might surprise us.

Chloe: I’m a vegetarian, but I love dissecting things for biology lessons.