Peter Kukla, Board President, Conference Committee Chair
Willamette Valley
Peter Kukla is part of the Eugene Science Center team in Eugene,
OR as their Planetarium Manager. He has over six years of
experience in the museum field, having worked in education, guest
services, volunteer management, and public programming. Peter is
passionate about the museum field and creating equitable access to
informal education. Peter is also currently serving on the Program
Committee for the Western Museums Association. He has a BA in Physics
from Occidental College with internship experience at organizations
ranging from OMSI to NASA.
Kyle Weismann-Yee, Board Treasurer, DEAI Committee Chair
Portland Metro
Kyle Weismann-Yee has over a decade of experience coordinating
community-based programs and making grants to rural communities and
communities of color. He is passionate about using history and museums
as community building and social change-making catalysts to help
communities envision a more just future. He has led community programs
that use public history as the foundation for understanding and being
active in social change.
Eleanor Sandys, Board Member
Portland Metro
At the Oregon Arts Commission, Eleanor serves as Visual Arts Coordinator, managing the state's Percent for Art in Public Places Program and grant programs for individual artists, as well as continuing to fulfill her previous position as collections manager for the Oregon's public art collection. Over the course of her career, Eleanor has worked and interned at a variety of arts and cultural organizations, including SCRAP PDX, FOR-SITE Foundation, Japanese Museum of Oregon, Portland Chinatown Museum, Portland Japanese Garden, Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley, the Museum of Contemporary Craft and the San Francisco Arts Commission. Eleanor has a Master’s in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University and a bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology from Reed College. She believes in the power of museums and the arts to present diverse experiences, generate critical conversations and encourage new perspectives.
Timothy Hecox, Board President ex-Officio
Portland Metro
Tim Hecox is the Experience Director at the World Forestry Center in Portland, OR. Tim has been in the museum, parks, and cultural sector for over eighteen years with previous positions in Museum Education, Exhibit and Program Development, Project Management, Community Engagement, and Strategic Fundraising. Over the course of his career, he has provided leadership over numerous large-scale projects supported by such organizations as the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). Tim is also currently on the board of the Coalition of State Museum Associations and Multnomah County Cultural Coalition, and has previously served on committees for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and Association for Science-Technologies Centers (ASTC). Tim was elected to the OMA Board in 2017.
Zachary Stocks, Board Member, Programs Committee Co-ChairThe Coast Zachary Stocks is the Executive Director of Oregon Black Pioneers and
lives and works in Astoria. Zachary has 10 years experience as a public
historian and museum professional and has interpreted Pacific Northwest
History at
Historical Seaport, Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, and the
Northwest African American Museum before coming to Oregon Black
Pioneers. He has a BA in History from the College of William & Mary
and an MA in Museology from the University of Washington.
Amanda Coven, Board Member, Membership Chair
Portland Metro
Amanda Coven is the Director of Education at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. She leads the museum in developing dynamic programs for diverse audiences across the state of Oregon, trains volunteers to engage visitors, students, and community groups in conversational and thought provoking programs, and facilitates professional development opportunities for educators. Amanda helped draft the content for Oregon’s Holocaust and Genocide bill (SB664), and since its unanimous passing, works closely with the State Department of Education to prepare educators for its implementation.
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Janice Crane, Board Vice President
Mt Hood/The Gorge
Janice Crane is the Executive Director of the Friends of the
Cascade Locks Historical Museum in the fabulous Columbia River Gorge. She entered
the museum industry in 2010 and has served in primarily operations and education
capacities. Janice’s Oregon museums career includes work at the Rice Northwest Museum
of Rocks and Minerals and the Washington County Museum (now Five Oaks Museum)
in Hillsboro, and the Douglas County Museum of Natural & Cultural History
in Roseburg. Originally from southwest Florida, Janice has an MA in Folklore
Studies with an emphasis in Historic Preservation from Western Kentucky
University and an MBA in Nonprofit Management from the University of
Portland.
Katie Williams, Board Secretary, Programs Committee Co-chair
Portland Metro
Katie Williams has been in the museum field for over 13 years. Most recently, she served as the Education Manager at World of Speed Motorsports Museum in Wilsonville, OR. Prior to joining World of Speed, Katie was the Education Manager at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle, where she also served as the Programs Officer for the Museum Educators of Puget Sound. She has years of experience in interpretive techniques and creating engaging, experiential learning opportunities for students of all ages. Katie earned her MA in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University and her BA in Art History from Lewis & Clark College and has completed internships at the Wing Luke Asian Museum, Oakland Museum of California, and the Asian Art Museum, among others. She is excited to be back in the greater Portland area and to serve on the OMA board.
Jennifer Fang, Board MemberPortland Metro Jennifer Fang is the Director of Interpretation and Community Engagement at Pittock Mansion and an adjunct professor at the University of Portland where she teaches Modern U.S. History and Asian American History. With a passion for historical interpretation and fostering community-centered values in cultural institutions, Jennifer has held roles at the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, Portland Children’s Museum, and the Portland Chinatown Museum over the course of her museum career. Jennifer earned a PhD in US History from the University of Delaware and specializes in race and immigration during the Cold War. She currently serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of the Oregon Historical Quarterly and the Board of Directors of the Western Museums Association.
Ariel Peasley, Board Member
The Coast
Ariel Peasley was born and raised in Oregon, but earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Montana, Missoula and her Master's degree in Anthropology and Museum Studies from California State University, Chico. She has worked in museums since 2013 and returned home to Oregon in 2017 which ultimately led to her current position at the Coos History Museum in Coos Bay, OR. Ariel is passionate about public and community education and the important part that museums and other non-profit organizations do to provide this service to their communities. She hopes to continue to aid in this endeavor in her role on the OMA board and is excited about other opportunities to help serve fellow museum professionals across Oregon.
Caitlin Armi, Board Member, Advocacy Committee Chair
Southern Oregon Caitlin Armi is the Executive Director of the Crater Rock Museum in the
picturesque Rogue Valley, and also serves as the Chair of the Board for
the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Previously, she
worked as the Education
& Volunteer Coordinator at the Douglas County Museum of Natural
& Cultural History in Roseburg, OR. She started her career with 5
seasons as an archaeologist, field school instructor, and assistant
registrar at Idalion, Cyprus. While achieving her B.A. and
Professional Certificate in Museum Studies from Harvard Extension
School, Caitlin worked in collections-capacities at the Harvard Art
Museums and Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, as well as Heritage
Museums and Gardens on Cape Cod. Caitlin grew up
in rural New Jersey before the suburbs of Boston and knows first-hand
the kind of impact museums can make. Her passions in the field center
around cultural & natural resource best practices, advocacy, and
informal education for rural communities.
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