Rob Cassetti’s love affair with glass began as a college intern when he first encountered molten glass flowing from the furnace at the Steuben Glass factory. When he was hired by Steuben a decade later, he realized his design training and previous design experience had not prepared him for creating new work at Steuben. Rob discovered, like so many Steuben designers before him, he had to learn on the job through trial and error from the glassmakers on the factory floor. Working side-by-side with glass makers and fellow designers provided a master class in what glass can do. His work at Steuben was an awakening to the power and possibilities of glass as a material. It launched a 30-year global adventure in glass at Steuben, Corning, and the Corning Museum of Glass.

Rob Cassetti joined CMOG in 1999 as manager of education and creative services. He became a director of the Museum in 2001, and was named senior director in 2007 until his retirement in 2020. He was responsible for developing the creative strategy for the Museum in addition to the operation of the Museum’s live glass demonstrations. Prior to joining the Museum however, Cassetti worked for more than 10 years as a glass designer with Steuben Glass. Cassetti holds a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts. He is the former President of the Board of Trustees of The Museum Association of New York, and a member of the Corning Incorporated architectural advisory committee. Rob continues to serve as a creative strategist for the Museum.