Michaeleen Gallagher joined The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands in 2011 and established the Department of Education and Environmental Programs. Since 2022, she has served as Director of Sunnylands Center & Gardens, overseeing retail, tours, education, and an internship program that provides college students and those in trades with opportunities in cultural center interpretation and professional development. 

Her career spans science, education, and the arts and includes a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her professional experience includes environmental science, wildlife research and rescue, and museum education, with positions at The Living Desert, Fleet Science Center in San Diego, and Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter. She also spent three years teaching in Japan and served as a volunteer advisor to the United States Marine Corps. 

Active in the cultural sector, Michaeleen served as president of the California Association of Museums, as well as chair of its Green Museums Initiative and Program Committee. She is a former fellow and board member of the International Environmental Communication Association and currently serves on the CAM Strategic Action Committee and the board of Nickerson-Rossi Dance. 

Publications and exhibitions include Curating Canopy: Trees at Sunnylands: Flight Plan: The Birds of Sunnylands: and Art & Nature: The Gardens at Sunnylands, as well as education guides for the IMAX films Magic of Flight and Everest.