You'll be amazed at what you can really do!
I took Pleun's class on photography and learned how to really take advantage of all the camera has to offer to get really great pictures. You'll be amazed at what you and your camera can really do!
-- Bob Persing, Plainfield
engaging and inspiring communicator
Pleun is exceptional – a brilliant, deep, and facile thinker with a wide knowledge of history, the historical field, and how it all relates to the gal on the street. She is also an engaging and inspiring communicator – whether in a room, on paper, or on the web.
-- James David Moran, Vice President for Programs and Outreach, American Antiquarian Society, Worcester, Massachusetts
demanding and empathetic teacher
Pleun was instrumental in my development as a writer and thinker. In the two years I studied with her at Harvard, Pleun gave me the attention needed to hone my own voice and to refine my own ideas. She never fell back on stock advice. In my career as a civil rights lawyer today, I still rely on the fundamental skills Pleun taught me. She is a demanding and empathetic teacher, editor, and mentor with a rare gift for teaching.
-- Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, J.D., San francisco, CA
genuine and honest feedback
Pleun is a dream to work with. We worked together on multiple proposals, from the three different institutions (from very small to very large) I worked for, over her time at Mass Humanities. Each time I rang or emailed – with projects about museum theatre, teacher workshops, or film production – she made time to listen and help me craft a successful application. She provided genuine and honest feedback on proposals – offering resources, critiquing arguments, and developing ideas. Pleun sees the big picture and the details and revels in the creative possibilities of life.
-- Kristin Gallas – Project Manager for Education Development, Tsongas Industrial History Center, Lowell, Massachusetts
listens to our ideas
Working with Pleun on committees, grant applications, and projects here at Wistariahurst, she listens to our ideas and has the ability turn them into concrete projects with attainable goals. Her sense of inquiry is engaging and enlightening and her insights are spot on. And her love of history is infectious.
-- Penni Martorell, Holyoke City Historian, and Curator at Wistariahurst, Holyoke, Massachusetts
a great motivator
I went to see Pleun for advice on my first Mass Humanities grant proposal back around 2010. Then and many times since, her words of wisdom have helped me focus, be realistic, and get the thing done. She’s also helped me and our organization realize we had the ability to produce and deliver valuable projects – we just needed someone with expertise to help us navigate – and a gentle push.
-- Kathie Gow, Curator, Hatfield Historical Museum
focus on detail in the context of the big picture
In all of the work I have done with Pleun Bouricius over the past 10 years, she has exhibited a balance of passionate commitment, warm support, finely honed analysis and careful attention to necessary details. She has an extraordinary ability to focus on detail in the context of the big picture even in complex planning environments. She likes to think, she thinks stunningly well, and she communicates warmly and engagingly what she thinks and why. Every time I meet with Pleun I leave with a fresh and expanded perspective on the work that we are doing together.
-- Joanne Riley, Interim Dean, University Libraries, Joseph P. Healey Library, University of Massachusetts Boston
combination of soaring vision, grounded practicality, and passion
I love your fiercely honest, original, and unconventional ways of thinking. And the combination of soaring vision, grounded practicality, and passion that you bring to projects is unparalleled. It is refreshing to work with you.
-- Jayne Gordon, Historical Consultant, Concord, Massachusetts