MSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
KATE SCHUREMAN, PRESIDENT
Kate Schureman has been with the Peoria Riverfront Museum, and its predecessor Lakeview Museum or Arts and Sciences, for 20+ years and currently serves as the museum’s Chief Operating Officer and VP of Administration. She is responsible for visitor service, front of house earned revenue operations including the Museum Store, strategic planning, institutional evaluations, best practices, and human resources, as well as daily museum administration. Before serving as the COO, Kate served as the Project Manager for the $85 million Peoria Riverfront Museum, which opened in October 2012.
Kate also serves the museum field as the Immediate Past President of the Illinois Association of Museums, serves on the Museum Store Association Education Group and on the Museum Store Association Finance Committee, as an IMLS grant reviewer, and on the American Alliance of Museums Advocacy Committee. In addition to her museum duties, Kate helps out in her community by serving as the President of the Board of the Peoria High School Alumni Association, serves in Rotary, PEO and DAR, volunteering with Compassion International, and singing in the church choir.
PATRICIA SAMPSON, Past PRESIDENT
Patricia Sampson is the Director of the Bookstore Resource Center at The King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Patricia has also work for the High Museum of Art Atlanta as Manager or Retail Shops and Visual Merchandising. Patricia began her retail career in for-profit retail in her home state of New York. She wore many different hats in the early days of her career from assistant buyer to buyer, and even fashion show coordinator. Patricia is a dedicated and passionate member of MSA. She has previously served on MSA chapter and national committees, on the regional board of the South Atlantic Chapter, and is our Past President after serving as President on the MSA Board of Directors for 4 terms. Lastly, Patricia is an avid sports fan, volleyball being her favorite. She enjoys sewing, cooking and spending quality time with family and friends.
COLLEEN HIGGINBOTHAM, FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
Colleen Higginbotham has more than 20 years’ experience in customer service managment and currently guides the visitor experience at the Chrysler Museum through supervision and training of frontline staff. After attending her first MSA conference as a museum professional who wanted to understand more about nonprofit retail, Colleen felt welcomed with open arms. Within the first day, she knew she had found something special. From an early age, Colleen was shown the importance of giving back. With parents who were business owners together, Colleen saw them both serve as leaders of their professional association. As an attendee to the conferences from a young age, Colleen was exposed to professional networking first hand and even in retirement her parents remain involved as mentors to others. Colleen believes in the value MSA provides and as a leader of her chapter, a committee member, and as Director at Large on the Board, Colleen feels honored to continue her service as First Vice President.Â
CHACHO HERMAN, SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
Chacho Herman, Director of Earned Income at the San Diego Museum of Art
Having started at SDMA in 1986 as a part-time, temporary employee I now oversee the Museum’s admissions, ticketing and restaurant services. In addition to being on MSA’s Board of Directors, I serve on the board of Balboa Park Online Collaborative, a non-profit dedicated to providing guidance and recommendations to museums, cultural organizations, and other nonprofits, that enables them to make economic and sustainable technology, digital, and strategic decisions. Until recently I served on an independent review board that reviewed medical studies that were proposed to be done on human subjects. The goal was to help ensure they were ethical and enforce their efficacy. I was, obviously, the layperson on that board.
I also love to create, paint, read, root my Padres on to victory (often times unsuccessfully), get lost in Baja, visit museums across the globe, go to concerts of all types, support my friends and family, and spend time with my wonderful wife and our dog, “BB”.
DARCY ESTES PINELO, TREASURER
Darcy Estes Pinelo is the General Merchandise Manager at the J. Paul Getty Museum. She started her 34-year career at the museum as a sales associate, later managing product development, before serving in her current role. As General Merchandise Manager, Darcy leads a Buying team of five in the purchase and production of diverse product assortments for the Getty Center and Getty Villa Museum stores, and online. She is also responsible for and enjoys designing proprietary product packaging that creates a consistent visual identity in support of the Getty brand, while also providing the consumer with compelling educational content about source artworks. Darcy has been an active member of the MSA for more than 20 years, attending annual conferences, presenting at Western Chapter meetings, and serving as Chapter Officer.
AMANDA SCHULTZ, SECRETARY
Amanda Schultz is the Retail Director for the Wisconsin Historical Society. She oversees retail operations and trainings, merchandising, and product development for the Society historic sites, museums, and online store. Prior to serving in her current role, Amanda was the store manager at the Wisconsin Historical Museum where her passion for museum retail began. She is thrilled to continue her work with the Society, helping to connect guests to Wisconsin history and to take a piece of it home. She is an advocate for local and independent retail and works to build representation of Wisconsin makers and artisans at the Historical Society. Amanda has a Bachelor of Arts degree from UW-Madison where she majored in Anthropology and International Studies and a minor in German. She has served on the Museum Store Association Midwest Chapter Board in numerous positions, including as President.
SOPHIE COSPER, DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Sophie attributes her success as shop manager and buyer at the Birmingham Museum of Art to the network of professionals at MSA along with the education and resources it provides. Her institution has a long history of involvement in MSA and she firmly believes the development and continued growth of the MSA are vital to strengthening and protecting nonprofit retail.
As Membership committee chair, it has been Sophie’s mission to both grow the ranks of the MSA and increase member retention through awareness, engagement and value to its members. As an active member in the South Atlantic Chapter where she has served as President and as a national board member, Sophie would like to help strengthen Chapters by making it easier for members to engage at both the national and chapter level.
STEPHANIE SMITH-GRAGG, DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Stephanie Smith-Gragg is the Museum Store Sales Manager at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. She has over 20 years of experience in the retail field, having worked in various roles. Stephanie has also volunteered on several committees within MSA, including serving as the Midwest Chapter President. Throughout her career, Stephanie has felt that her success and growth have been a result of the great support and guidance from fellow MSA members. She is dedicated to promoting DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion) initiatives and creating a supportive environment for all museum store professionals. Outside of work, Stephanie enjoys gardening, needlepoint, and researching African American culinary history and traditions.
JULIA JORDAN, DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Julia Jordan is Retail Experience Manager at the Edelman Fossil Park & Museum. Julia has been an MSA member for more than 10 years. She served on the board for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter and states she is thrilled to be contributing to the organization in a larger capacity as a valuable resource for her museum colleagues.
Kate Botelho Sibya, DIRECTOR AT LARGE
Kate Botelho Sibya is the Retail Operations Manager for The Preservation Society of Newport County-The Newport Mansions, overseeing six museum retail stores, an online store, and warehouse operations. With over 23 years of professional experience, including a decade of dedicated service to the Museum Store Association (MSA), Kate has shown versatility and dedication. She co-created and served as the inaugural co-chair of MSA NEXT and contributed to the MARCOM, EAG, DEAI, fundraising, and conference planning committees.
Kate credits her involvement with MSA for her professional growth and remains committed to board service, eager to continue giving back to an organization she deeply values.
jennifer castracane, VENDOR MEMBER ADVISOR
Jennifer Castracane is a sales manager for The Unemployed Philosophers Guild. Originally from Texas but based now in Brooklyn, NY, Jennifer has always had a love for the arts After some time at The Philadelphia Museum of Art , she decided to pursue a master’s degree in New York in Modern and Contemporary Art and the Art Market at Christie’s Education. Finding a place like The Unemployed Philosophers where she can continue to use her education and love for the arts has the added benefit of belonging to a great organization such as MSA where she has been a member for the past 15 years. She and UPG strive to continue to support cultural institutions of all kinds by making smart and funny gifts across many genres.
KATY MURPHY, VENDOR MEMBER ADVISOR
Katy Murphy is the owner and founder of Narrative Material. Hailing from Texas, Katy’s passion for the arts led her to pursue studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Currently based in Chicago, she is deeply dedicated to supporting the arts and collaborating with cultural institutions and non-profit retailers.
Through her company, Narrative Material, Katy’s mission is to curate, create, and promote artistic endeavors, producing compelling products that further tell the stories of both artists and artworks. Her unwavering commitment to the arts is evident in her desire to work closely with our MSA community, fostering growth and strength in the organization.
With a keen eye for creativity and a heart for the arts, Katy Murphy continues to make a significant impact on the artistic landscape, celebrating the power of storytelling and artistic expression through her work at Narrative Material.
ELIZABETH PRICE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Elizabeth Price, MBA, CAE, has been working in association management since 2000, and has spent over 20 years in Executive Management. She earned an MBA in Marketing from the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico (UNM – Go LOBOS!) after completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts with a focus on photography and ceramics. She completed her Association Executive Certificate (CAE) in 2011.Â
In 2020, the Museum Store Association retained Elizabeth as their Executive Director where she quickly became versed in the world of nonprofit retail management. She has guided the association through its pandemic recovery, increasing their annual gross revenue over 75% and increasing membership 22%. She recently received the 2022 MSA Service Award recognizing these efforts. She has spoken both in the US and abroad on various nonprofit subjects, and is quoted for her innovative use of assets in the bestselling book Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations.
She has worked with associations from the ground up, building programs, developing leadership, reorganizing and managing the office and staff, and increasing and rejuvenating membership.
Serving on our Board of Directors!
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2023-2026 APPLIED STRATEGIC PLAN
Prepared by Leading Associations Jeff Arnold, MAM, CAE Robert D. Spangler, MPA, CSC
Based on board interviews and survey responses, clear themes emerged regarding the future direction of the organization. These themes led to the establishment of Key Strategic Focus Areas.