Who We Are

Associates

• Bill Firstenberger
  Bill is a specialist in exhibit design, volunteer recruitment, artifact storage design, and collections management. He received his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1989 and his M.A. from Indiana University in 2000. From 1990 to 1998, he worked in the Curatorial Department at the Northern Indiana Center for History in South Bend, leaving with the title Curator of Collections. Firstenberger has also served as the Director/Curator at the Billy Sunday Historic Site Museum in Winona Lake, Indiana, since 1998. Bill is a member of the American Association of Museums, the Association of Midwest Museums, and the Association of Indiana Museums, where he served as a past regional representative. Shortly after beginning his independent museum consulting in 1998, Bill officially founded the firm Museumcroft™. The goal of Museumcroft™ is to help all sizes of interpretive institutions by providing the best quality consulting services at the most affordable rates in the industry. It is a philosophy which Bill feels strongly about, and one that ensures that each organization receives the best possible chance to thrive and better serve its community.

• Laurie Booth
  Laurie is an objects conservator with twelve years experience. As President of Midwest Conservation Services, Inc. located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, she has been serving small museums and historical societies for many years. Laurie’s particular speciality is in general surveys and preventive conservation, making her services particularly useful for small museums.
  
  
• Mary Chrastil
  Mary is an expert in the fields of fund raising, membership, and development. She received her B.A. from Indiana University and her M.A. from the University of Washington. Her experience includes nearly three decades of not-for-profit administration, with thirteen years of development direction at the Sisters of St. Joseph, Third Order of St. Francis, the Northern Indiana Center for History, and Manchester College, where she is presently the Director of Development. Her positions of leadership have given her supervision over staffs ranging from one to fifteen individuals. Mary has held CFRE credentials since 1995, and she is a founding Board Member of the AFP, Michiana Chapter.
  
  
• Kathy Deka
  Kathy is a specialist in educational programming and cultural interpretation. She received her B.A. in History in 1991 from Indiana University. She worked in the Education Department at the Northern Indiana Center for History for ten years holding the position of Director of Education for the last four years. Kathy was project leader for Dom Robotnika Worker's Home Museum, a ground-breaking project linking the Polish community with museum staff, labor organizations, historians and others. Kathy worked as Education Director for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi for five years. Her work with the Pokagons has expanded her sensitivity to the diverse concerns in each culture. She looks upon her experiences with the Band as the continuation of a journey.
  
  
• Eliner Elgin
  Eliner is a specialist in educational programming and docent training. She received her B.F.A. in painting and drawing from Maryland Institute College of Art in 1985 and her M.A.T. in museum education from George Washington University in 1987. Eliner served as an outreach teacher for the Maryland Historical Society for seven years prior to working as the Tour Coordinator for the Baltimore City Life Museums from 1993-1997. More recently, she has held the position of Education Director for both the Fire Museum of Maryland and the Baltimore Museum of Industry. She currently serves on the Education Committee for the American Association of Museums and the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, and is a committee member of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. An experienced educator with extensive knowledge in object-based teaching, site and program interpretation, demonstrations, multiple intelligence, and first person presentations, Eliner uses her strong interpersonal and organizational skills to enhance educational programs through both teacher training and direct interaction with students.
  
  
• Kathy Fernandez
  Kathy is skilled in small museum administration, volunteer programs and recruitment, special events, interpretation, public relations and fund-raising. She is the former Site Manager at Zoar Village State Memorial and three other sites for the Ohio Historical Society until her retirement in 2004. Kathy earned a B.A. in History from Otterbein College in 1971 and has 33 years of experience in practical and feasible solutions to the issues faced by the small museum. She is skilled in developing local partnerships to increase outreach and funding. She has strong communications skills. Kathy also has developed interpretive plans and educational programs. She has developed plans for museums in five states since 1999 for the American Association of Museum’s Museum Assessment Program in Washington, D.C., and is interim Executive Secretary of the Communal Studies Association in Amana, Iowa.
  
  
• Barbara Hammond
  Barbara is an expert in museum administration, grant review, and special events planning. In 2005, she earned her Certified Fund Raising Professional (CFRP) credentials. She received her B.A. in History of Art from Finch College and has continued with graduate study from City University in New York, Columbia University, and Marymount College. Barbara has over twenty years experience in museum direction where she has demonstrated success in financial enhancement and audience expansion. Her ability to work effectively with board, staff, volunteers, corporate, government and individual funding contacts complements her solid record of successful annual giving programs, grants, fiscal accountability, special events planning and management.
  
  
• Tiffany Hatfield
  Tiffany is an expert in organizational planning, program development and grant writing. She received her B.A. in History from Hanover College in May of 1987, and her M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University in August of 1989. From 1989 to 2001, she directed and implemented all facets of house museum operations at the Morris-Butler House in Indianapolis, including programs; public relations; staff, volunteer and intern administration and development; budget management; building and collections conservation; fundraising; and institutional development. She is Owner of T.C. Hatfield Consulting located in Zionsville, Indiana, a firm specializing in organizational services, program development, and grant writing. She has served on local, statewide and national boards/committees for cultural and educational organizations, and served as President of the Association of Indiana Museums from 2001-2003.
  
  
• Carol Heger
  Carol’s specialty is in educational programming and visitor services. She possesses over twenty years of experience in museums and tourism. She has developed educational programming at an historic home of a president; an urban historical park; a prominent living history museum; a children’s museum; an arts center; and a state tourism visitor center. As the coordinator of educational programming, Carol recruited and trained interpreters; researched and wrote educational materials for teachers and the public; designed and managed outreach programs; publicized educational programs; and wrote grants. She has served on the board of Association of Indiana Museums, first as a regional representative and then as first vice-president for marketing. Carol has three years of experience in group tours and marketing at Mystic Seaport Museum where she wrote and designed promotional brochures; attended travel shows and conventions of national motorcoach and tour organizations; coordinated “fam” tours for tour operators and travel agents; and managed the museum’s coupon and discount programs.
  
  
• John Hensley
  John’s areas of specialty include museum administration, exhibit development, collections management, and historical research. John received his B.A. from the College of the Ozarks in 1982 and his M.A. with a museum studies certification from the University of Delaware in 1984. John was a Fellow in the Hagley Museum and Library/University of Delaware Graduate Program in the History of Industrial America. He is finishing his Ph.D. in American Studies at Saint Louis University. John is currently Curator-archivist for the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Before that, he served as Director of the Missouri State Museum and Gallery Development Director for the St. Louis Science Center.
  
  
• Bette Lou Higgins
  Bette Lou is an educational programming/computer application specialist with particular interests in storytelling, original theatrical and music programs, and first-person character development. Bette Lou is well versed in advising cultural organizations on managing their computer needs. She holds a B.A. in theatre from Baldwin-Wallace College and and M.Ed. from Cleveland State University in Technology in Education. In 1977, Bette Lou founded Eden Valley Enterprises which has developed over sixty original programs for cultural organizations over the years. She presently serves as the President and Artistic Director for Eden Valley Enterprises.
  
  
• Jennifer Johns
  Jennifer is a specialist in collections management, artifact relocation and artifact storage. She received her B.A. in anthropology from Indiana University in 1995. Since 1995, she has been working in the Collections Department at the Northern Indiana Center for History in South Bend where she presently holds the position of Registrar. Jennifer has served in the recent past as Northern Region Regional Representative for the Association of Indiana Museums.
  
  
• John Kovach
  John specializes in archival and three-dimensional collections management as well as historical research. He received his B.A. in History and Communication in 1981 from Indiana University, where he subsequently pursued graduate work in the same fields. He possesses nineteen years experience in the museum field working as an educator, curator, director, and archivist. Since 1996, John has served as Archivist for St. Mary’s College, in South Bend, Indiana. The museums he has worked vary widely including a historical society, a children’s museum, a railroad museum, and now, a liberal arts college.
  
  
• Jean Graham Lee
  Jean specializes in collection management and exhibit development. She recieved her N.D.D. from Leeds College of Art, Yorkshire, England and after college worked as a textile designer and design consultant. After moving to the United States, Jean has worked in museums and historic sites in southern Indiana. Her work experience has included coordinating public events and educational programs at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science, administration of the Reitz Home Museum and site curator for New Harmony State Historic Site and Historic New Harmony. She has over 23 years of experience with small and mid-size museums and historic sites. She is a member of the Association of Indiana Museums, and was on the board as a regional representative, and is a member of the National Association for Interpretation.
  
  
• Kate Linderman
  Kate is an expert in historic preservation, grant writing, publication design, and volunteer management. She received her B.A. in History from Franklin College of Indiana in 1991 and her M.S. in Historic Preservation from Ball State University in 1995. She had worked in collections for five years at two of Indiana’s State Historic Sites (T.C. Steele Home and Lanier Mansion) prior to becoming the Manager of Development and Public Programs at Historic New Harmony. Among other tasks at Historic New Harmony, she coordinates public programs, edits the quarterly newsletter, IN HARMONY, prepares grants, and manages an outreach program with the University of Southern Indiana. She is married to Mike Linderman, Site Manager for Angel Mounds State Historic Site.
  
  
• Bill O'Brien
  William A. "Bill" O'Brien has more that 20 years of experience in city government and non-profit management and fundraising. His most recent work was with the Great Lakes Historical Society and Inland Seas Museum in Vermilion, Ohio as Executive Director, and he is currently Associate Vice President for Development at Myers University, a private 4-year institution in Cleveland, Ohio. Bill is adept at strategic planning, board development, grant research and writing, marketing programs and special event planning and implementation. After six years in the museum arena, Bill has a clear understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in planning and fundraising. Bill is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and has taught grant writing and fundraising principles at regional and national conferences.
  
  
• John Palmer
  John’s specialty is in library and archives development, family genealogy, and independent historical research. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from IUSB in 1970 and his Master's Degree in Library Science from Western Michigan University in 1974. From 1975 to 2004 he worked as a Reference Librarian at the St. Joseph County Public Library in South Bend, Indiana. John helped organize the Library’s Local History/Genealogy Room in 1991 and worked in that department for 10 years. He has worked as a free lance writer since 1974, and has written numerous historical and genealogical articles. He has written two books on South Bend history (South Bend: Crossroads of Commerce and South Bend in Vintage Postcards). John also owns and operates Michiana History Publications, which sells new, used, and rare genealogy and local history books. He is a member of the Northern Indiana Center for History, the South Bend Area Genealogical Society, and a Board Member and Marketing Director for Support the Fort, Inc. located in Niles, Michigan.
  
  
• Julia C. Parke
  Julia has seventeen years in the museum field, primarily in areas of museum administration and historic preservation. She received a BA in History from Northwestern University and an MA in History and Historic Preservation from Wake Forest University. For over nine years she served as the Executive Director, and three years as Program Director, of Historic Locust Grove, a National Historic Landmark in Louisville Kentucky. While there, Julia led Locust Grove to become the first historic site in Kentucky to receive AAM accreditation. She has extensive experience in historic preservation and conservation of historic structures, and has been through the CAP process and several subsequent Conservation Project Support grants. Julia is a member of the American Association of Museums and the Small Museum Administrators' Committee, and the American Association for State and Local History. She served on the executive committee of the Ohio River Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, the steering committee of the Arts and Cultural Attractions Economic Council of Louisville, Kentucky and the board of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, also in Louisville. She is a graduate of the Seminar for Historical Administration and the Summer Institute of the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts.
  
  
• Mary Renshaw
  Mary possesses expertise in educational programming, historic research, and archival management. She received both her B.A. and M.A. from Michigan State University in English/Education and did post-graduate work in archaeology at Western Michigan University. Mary taught English and Business Communication at the high school and college levels before entering the museum field. For twenty years, she worked in the education and archival departments at the Northern Indiana Center for History in South Bend, Indiana. She served as St. Joseph County Historian for ten years and during the same time edited a weekly history column for the South Bend Tribune.
  
  
• Ric Snodgrass
  Ric specializes in project management, exhibit development/design, graphic design/illustration, fabrication documents/supervision. He received his B.A. Degree in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati in 1984. Ric has worked on three dimensional design projects for twenty years including museum & trade show exhibits, large public events, architectural signage, branded environments & wayfinding. Ric has worked for the Cincinnati Museum Center on permanent, traveling and temporary exhibits and for an exhibit tradeshow fabricator. Ric enjoys pulling teams and ideas together to create engaging environments that tells a story, creates a mood or informs a visitor.
  
  
• John A. Veverka
  John is an expert in environmental, cultural and historical interpretation, interpretive master planning, and training. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees majoring in Interpretive Services from Ohio State University and five years in the Ph.D. program at Michigan State University, majoring in Interpretation and Heritage Tourism Marketing, where he also taught introductory and advanced interpretation courses. John has thirty years of interpretive experience and is a Certified Interpretive Planner, Certified Interpretive Trainer, and Certified Professional Heritage Interpreter. He is the author of the textbook “Interpretive Master Planning.” John is President of John Veverka & Associates located in Okemos, Michigan.
  
  
• Jim Waechter
  Jim is specialist in military history, exhibit development, and collections management. He received both his B.S. and M.A. from Ball State University, and possesses over twenty years of museum experience as both a volunteer and professional. Prior to his Exhibits Manager position at The Lincoln Museum in Ft. Wayne, he worked for a number of years at the Wayne County Historical Museum in Richmond, Indiana. In a volunteer capacity, Jim has served as a regional representative for the Association of Indiana Museums, and at present, serves as Director for the Museum of the Soldier in Portland, Indiana.