2023-2024
Washington Museum Association
Board Officers

WaMA is operated through the efforts of an all-volunteer Board of museum professionals and supporters from across Washington.  Board meetings are hosted each quarter by different museums throughout the state.

WaMA Board Application

President
Brad Richardson
Executive Director
Clark County Historical Museum 
Position 6, term expires 2026, Not eligible for re-election

► Bio

A life-long Clark County resident, Brad Richardson has spent the last 12 years engaging the public in the gathering, saving, and sharing of Southwest Washington history at the Clark County Historical Museum (CCHM). He currently is the Executive Director. He completed his Bachelors in History at Washington State University Vancouver (2012) and Masters in Public History from Portland State University (2015). Brad is a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver and also serves on the board of trustees for Humanities Washington.

1st Vice President
Jessica Rubenacker
Director of Exhibits
Wing Luke Museum
Position 13, term expires 2024

 

► Bio

Jessica Rubenacker is currently the Director of Exhibits for the Wing Luke Museum where she provides leadership and oversight of the community-based exhibition development process. Rubenacker returned to the museum after managing the City of Redmond (WA) Arts Program. Jessica is also a guest instructor for the Museology Graduate Program at the University of Washington and is on the board for Historic South Downtown in Seattle. She holds an MA in Museology from the University of Washington and BFA in both Painting and Art History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

2nd Vice President
Sarah Sampson
Collection Manager
Renton History Museum
Position 4, term expires 2021, eligible for re-election

 

► Bio

Sarah Samson has been with the Renton History Museum since 2006, first as the Collection Manager and currently as the Curator of Collections & Exhibits. Previously she interned at the Burke Museum of Natural History & Culture and worked in archaeology in South Dakota. She received her Master’s degree in Museology from the University of Washington and her Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of South Dakota. Sarah is a University of Washington Museology affiliate faculty member, teaching collections care and serving as a host site for their exhibits class.

Treasurer
Robert Schimelpfenig
Archivist
Washington State University Vancouver Library

 

► Bio

Robert Schimelpfenig is an Archivist for the WSU Vancouver Library. Since 2001, he has collaborated with museums and cultural institutions on digital projects. His early contributions include the coordination and digitization of regional, ethnic history materials in the Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive. Most recently, his involvement in the development of a joint digital program with Clark County Historical Museum in Vancouver, Washington has initiated the digitization of over 30,000 objects from local collections. In 2006, Robert helped to establish the Archives & Special Collections at WSU Vancouver, overseeing the university’s growing collections. His interests include archival stewardship, preservation, and turning collaborative projects into long term partnerships.

Secretary
Sarah Burpee
Programs Manager 
Pomeroy Living History Farm 

 

► Bio

Membership Secretary
Erika Bentley-Holland
Puget Sound Emerging Museum Professionals, Seattle WA

 

 

► Bio

In second grade, Erika Bentley Holland was cast as the titular role in her class’s production of The Elephant’s Child. She took the philosophy of insatiable curiosity as her moto. At about that age, she fell in love with the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, BC because it encouraged her to explore and pursue her curiosity. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History (Honours) from the University of British Columbia, where she enjoyed her first museum job as a tour guide at the Museum of Anthropology. She went on to pursue a Masters in Museum Studies from the University of Toronto, where she focused on food in museums, before returning home to the west coast. She is dedicated to breaking down the historic, colonial, and ongoing barriers between museum collections and people.

Immediate Past President (Ex-Officio Non-Voting)
Katie Buckingham
Curator
Museum of Glass
Expires 2024; Not eligible for re-election, Position 10

► Bio

Director
Jabari Owens-Bailey
Curatorial Educations Program Manager
Museum of Glass
Expires 2026; Eligible for re-election

 

► Bio

Jabari Owens-Bailey is an arts administrator, curator, writer, educator, and artist. He currently works as Curatorial Educations Program Manager for Museum of Glass. Jabari received his Bachelor of Fine Art from George Washington University: Corcoran College of Art + Design and his Master of Fine Art from School of Visual Arts. He Completed a Curatorial Fellowship at Museum of African Diaspora Arts (MoCADA). His varied career in arts administration has shaped his values on diversity and inclusion in the museum and arts fields and believes in the personal healing powers of creating. Jabari has worn many hats during his arts administration career that have included roles as a scholar, Museum of Glass podcast host, curriculum designer, program designer, project manager, art installer, and much more. Jabari Has curated exhibitions and managed projects at other institutions and currently is the curator of A Two-Way Mirror: Double Consciousness in Contemporary Glass by Black Artists at Museum of Glass.

Director
Megan Churchwell
Curator
Puget Sound Navy Museum, Bremerton WA
Expires 2022; Eligible for re-election, Position 2

 

► Bio

Megan Churchwell has been the Curator of Bremerton’s Puget Sound Navy Museum since 2014. Her background includes a BA degree in American History from Willamette University (2008) and a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from the University of Washington (2011). At the Puget Sound Navy Museum, which tells the story of the Navy in the Pacific Northwest, Megan develops exhibits, assists researchers, and manages the museum’s online presence.

Director
Lynn Bethke
Collections Manager
Museum of Culture and Environment at Central Washington University

 

► Bio

Lynn Bethke is the Collections Manager at the Museum of Culture and Environment at Central Washington University (CWU). As the sole full-time staff member, she manages the collection, the gallery, and is deeply involved in all aspects of museum work. She has also taught in the Museum Studies program at CWU regularly since 2010. Lynn earned her Master’s degree in Museology from the University of Washington, and holds Bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and English Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Outside of museum work, she enjoys reading, knitting, and roller derby.

Director
Nancy Salguero McKay
Executive Director
Highline Heritage Museum, Burien WA
Expires 2022; Eligible for re-election, Position 8

 

► Bio

Nancy Salguero McKay is the Executive Director for the new Highline Heritage Museum. Since 2006 has been preserving the stories of the Highline region. She held a position as Exhibit Design instructor for the UW Professional & Continuing Education certificate program for two years. Salguero McKay’s awards include the Exhibit Excellence award from the Washington Museum Association and the Exhibit Award from the Association of King County Historical Organizations. She’s part of the 4Culture Heritage Advisory Committee and has served as a board member on multiple nonprofit heritage and cultural organizations

Director
Stone Addington, Ph.D.
Director of Programs
Humanities Washington

 

► Bio

Stone Addington, Ph.D. is the Director of Programs at Humanities Washington, overseeing programs including Think & Drink, Speakers Bureau, Prime Time Family Reading, and Public Humanities Fellows. Stone received his Ph.D. from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Washington. His research focuses on public philosophy, rationality, and the epistemology of extreme beliefs. Stone has taught philosophy courses at the University of Washington, Seattle University, and has served as a Philosophy for Children instructor for PLATO.

Director
Korum Bischoff
Deputy Director
Bainbridge Island Art Museum

► Bio

Korum has been working in the arts and cultural non-profit sector for his entire career, including twelve years at Bumbershoot/Teatro ZinZanni in Seattle in graphic design and marketing, at Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island as Director of Communications and Events, and now at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art where he oversees Marketing, Communications, Community & Cultural Programs, Visitor Services, and the Museum Store.

Director
Lauren Otto
Education Program Facilitator
Squamish Museum/Puget Sound EMP

 

 

► Bio

Ex-Officio
Rob Worstell 
Director of Education
Northwest Museum of Art and Culture

 

► Bio

A Spokane native Rob Worstell is currently serving as the Director of Education at the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture in Spokane WA. Before returning to Spokane in 2023 and joining the MAC team, Rob was the Acting Jonathan and Patti Kraft Chief of Learning and Community Engagement at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), Rob joined the MFA’s education department in 1994 while a student. At the MFA, he oversaw the MFA’s Education Department and had a particular fondness for the MFA’s Studio Art programs, and Community Arts Initiative programs.  

Rob received his BFA from Washington State University and his MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University. Special interests: As a Navy veteran, Rob is interested in the whereabouts of his old ship, and shipmates – Rob spends his free time gardening and maintaining a menagerie of pets at his home.

 

Ex-Officio
Chieko Phillips
Heritage Program Director
4Culture, Seattle WA

 

► Bio

Chieko Phillips is the Heritage Program Director at 4Culture, the cultural funding agency for King County, Washington, where she supports organizations and practitioners who preserve and share the histories and material cultures of King County, Washington. Previously the Director of BlackPast, an online resource for global African and African American history, she has also held positions at the Northwest African American Museum, the United Negro College Fund, and Photographic Center Northwest. A graduate of Davidson College, Chieko holds a BA in History and an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Washington.

Ex-Officio
Allison Campbell
Heritage Outreach Manager
Washington State Historical Society