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.

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. 

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”.