Meet our new team members
Open House New York is excited to welcome three additions to our team! Ava Chessum, Production Assistant, will provide key support in producing OHNY Weekend 2026. Brendan Crain returns to OHNY as Program Director and will lead development and production of OHNY's public programs. Caroline Mendoza joins the team as Development Associate, and will manage our fundraising and special events.
Meet Brendan Crain
Brendan Crain rejoins Open House New York as Program Director in 2026, having previously served in the role from 2014-17. In the intervening years, he managed NYC Culture Pass, a co-presented program of the Brooklyn Public Library, New York Public Library, and Queens Public Library systems. Before his initial stint at OHNY, he worked for the Project for Public Spaces and the Institute for Urban Design (now the Urban Design Forum), where he got his first taste of festival planning working on Urban Design Week way back in 2011.
What excites you about returning to Open House New York?
There is no better storytelling platform for people who are curious about New York City. Open House New Yorkers are an amazing audience to create programs for; whether it’s for a citywide scavenger hunt about zoning or a lecture about the city’s waste system, they show up in droves. In my friend groups I’m often The Planner—the one coming up with stuff for us to do together. Working at OHNY is like getting to do that on a large scale.
What’s your most memorable Open House New York experience?
My most memorable experience was when I got a call on the morning of the day we were doing two back-to-back boat tours because DOT had changed the docking permissions at 34th Street and we could leave from the pier there but couldn’t disembark there. We had to communicate to about 300 people at the last minute that they’d be getting dropped off at the Seaport instead of Midtown after their tour. But again, Open House New Yorkers are awesome, and everyone was pretty chill about it.
But my favorite experience was the party at the end of the day after an event called the Landmark Dash that we did back in 2015. It was an Amazing Race-inspired game that had teams running around the city to visit and complete challenges at a dozen different landmarked interiors, and it took an enormous amount of planning and was logistically pretty complex because it was all timed, and people were going to the different sites in a specific order—so seeing how overwhelmingly happy and exhausted all of the participants were at the end of the day was very rewarding. I loved that whole day.
What can the Open House New York audience look forward to in the coming months?
The Weekend is going to be here before you know it! Beyond the festival, I’m really looking forward to digging back into the Urban Systems Series, which is always so fascinating to research and plan. I love getting into a tunnel or a turbine hall as much as anyone, but I’m also really interested in “soft” infrastructure, and there’s still so much left to explore there. There will be more of the fan favorites, like scavenger hunts, boat tours, and visits to unusual places, too. Everybody reading this should invest in a good pair of walking shoes!
If you could open up any place for OHNY, what would it be and why?
I’d love to get up in the crown of the Chrysler Building and look out at the city through one of those huge triangular windows. There used to be a dentist up there, but I found out after they had left so I missed my chance! It would be awesome to do some kind of installation/activation up there to bring the Cloud Club back to life temporarily. Alternatively, I think it’s a private residence now but the room at the top of One Wall Street is incredible—the ceiling is tiled with hundreds of mother of pearl shells.
I’m an Open House New Yorker because…
This is the most welcoming city in the world, and I want it to stay that way.
Meet Caroline Mendoza
Caroline Mendoza is Open House New York’s Development Associate. Prior to OHNY, Caroline supported events and fundraising across the NGO world and is excited to help diversify access to the city for all New Yorkers. She holds a BA in Human Rights and French from Columbia University. Originally from Los Angeles county, she currently lives in Brooklyn.
What excites you about joining Open House New York?
I’m looking forward to meeting the people and communities that OHNY serves. I really believe in the Open House mission of access and engagement, and feel very lucky that I can help make a tangible impact by funding OHNY’s work. I’m also happy that I’ve joined in the middle of summer and get to participate in a OHNY sunset boat tour!
What’s your favorite place or neighborhood in NYC?
I love the Poets House library (awesome), Greenwood Cemetery (the highest point in Brooklyn), Cathedral of St. John the Divine (big) and the Central Park Zoo (the petting zoo section).
If you could open up any place for OHNY, what would it be and why?
58 Joralemon Street because I want to know what’s going on in there. It’s a fake brownstone apartment that is actually a subway vent.
I’m an Open House New Yorker because…
I’m from LA but I can’t drive, so I have no choice but to live in New York and be an Open House New Yorker for life.
Meet Ava Chessum
Ava Chessum is Open House New York’s Production Assistant. She is a native New Yorker with a background in museum education and art collection coordination. Before joining OHNY, Ava worked with the Brooklyn Museum’s Education Department and NYC Health + Hospital’s Arts in Medicine collection, expanding what it means to engage with the arts in and around the city.
What excites you about joining Open House New York?
I’ve always been a curious New Yorker – excited to peek behind the scenes whenever I can. Some of my favorite memories growing up are the most “OHNY” ones: getting to go backstage at the NYC Ballet Theater to visit a friend’s parent at work, or visiting the Google Offices in Chelsea as a part of a school project.
Managing projects has always been one of my favorite parts of working in arts administration, and I am thrilled to be working on this year’s OHNY Weekend! Joining the OHNY team this summer is particularly exciting for me, as I have recently returned to NYC after spending a year living in Germany. In my German host-city, building community in a completely new environment was possible thanks to the numerous and welcoming cultural spaces I encountered. Now, returning home to NYC, I have a renewed appreciation for the people, organizations, and spaces that make cities engaging and accessible for their residents and visitors alike. These are OHNY’s partners and audience, and I’m so excited to be working with them!
What’s your favorite place or neighborhood in NYC?
I’m a big fan of NYC skyline viewpoints, so the Brooklyn Heights Promenade is one of my favorite spots to walk or people-watch. A bit more fleeting, but another favorite is the above-ground stretch of subway track between Carroll St and Smith/9th St on the F/G lines. I love the way the whole of Brooklyn and Manhattan stretches out as you climb the tracks – and Smith/9th is the highest subway station in the NYC subway system!
If you could open up any place for OHNY, what would it be and why?
I’d open up the clocktower building in DUMBO at 1 Main Street. I used to pass it on the school bus every day coming home, and was obsessed with the idea of visiting the apartment behind the 15ft-wide glass clock face on the top 3 floors. I recently learned that the building was owned and operated by Robert Gair, the inventor of corrugated cardboard!
I’m an Open House New Yorker because…
There’s only so much you can see of New York from the street. I believe New York’s best kept secrets, best stories, and most importantly, best storytellers, are usually behind a door, up a flight of stairs, or down a hallway!