Our Board
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.
President
Brad Richardson
Executive Director
Clark County Historical Museum
Position 6, term expires 2023, 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
2nd Vice President
Sarah Sampson
Collection Manager
Renton History Museum
Position 4, term expires 2021, eligible for re-election
Bio
Treasurer
Robert Schimelpfenig
Archivist
Washington State University Vancouver Library
Bio
Secretary
Brooke Shelman Wagner
Registrar
Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane WA
Expires 2024; Not-eligible for re-election, Position 1
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.
Director
Megan Churchwell
Curator
Puget Sound Navy Museum, Bremerton WA
Expires 2022; Eligible for re-election, Position 2
Bio
Director
Lynn Bethke
Collections Manager
Museum of Culture and Environment at Central Washington University
Bio
Director
Stone Addington, Ph.D.
Director of Programs
Humanities Washington
Bio
Ex-Officio
Chieko Phillips
Heritage Program Director
4Culture, Seattle WA