Staff

Angie Albright

Angie Albright

Director

Angie was born and raised in Iowa, but has called Arkansas home since 1987. She loves history, something inherited from several generations of history lovers. She was an English professor for many years before leaving academia for the nonprofit sector. She loves to travel and experience new places, whether they are major museums or humble back roads. She is mom to one grown son who inherited her love of travel and anything with melted cheese. She’s active in the community and serves on several nonprofit boards, including the NWA Food Bank, Woolsey Farmstead Advisory Committee, and Women Lead Arkansas. She also volunteers for Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and Southeastern Museums Conference. Angie is fond of saying that “everything is interesting,” and she is rarely without something to read in her hand. Contact Angie.

Carolyn Reno

Carolyn Reno

Assistant Director/Collections Manager

Carolyn has been the collections manager since 1984. As caretaker of the museum collections, her duties include researching, cataloging, cleaning, and storing objects, as well as overseeing maintenance of security and HVAC systems. Carolyn grew up in Michigan and moved to Northwest Arkansas in 1976. She has an undergraduate degree in art but her interest in history, antiques, and a museum studies class with Peggy Hoffman at the University of Arkansas, led her to the museum field.  She enjoys all aspects of her job which explains her thirty-plus years at Shiloh Museum. Outside of work, Carolyn enjoys movies, quality and not-so-quality television, reading, gardening, baking, and yoga, just to name a few interests. Contact Carolyn.

Sue Artiga

Sue Artiga

Creative Services Manager

Sue was born and raised in El Salvador. In 2018, she moved to the United States to pursue a degree in photography and graphic design at John Brown University in Siloam Springs. During her time there, she fell in love with the art of film photography and spent countless hours in the darkroom developing her own film and prints. Sue is responsible for the digitization of existing and future collections and also oversees the branding and creative presence of the museum. Contact Sue.

Sandra Cox Birchfield

Sandra Cox Birchfield

Communications and Marketing Manager

Sandra grew up in Fayetteville and spent several years as a newspaper writer and editor. As a journalist, she discovered a love for Arkansas’ history and was even fortunate to witness some of it as it was happening. In her spare time, Sandra enjoys watching documentaries, writing, photography and researching local musicians of yore. She and her husband may be found spending their days off visiting area small towns, partaking in the local cuisine, and looking for both thrift store and flea market treasures. Contact Sandra.

Stephanie Carter

Stephanie Carter

Image Collections Manager

Stephanie grew up in Jonesboro and earned her bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University and master’s from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has served as a Government Document Librarian at the Arkansas State Library and with New Mexico State University. Most recently, Stephanie was an archivist with the Arkansas State Archives. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, music, attending concerts, and photography. Contact Stephanie.

Judy Costello

Judy Costello

Education Manager

Judy grew up learning and living Southern history through her family’s exploration of Civil War battlefields, swimming holes, potential duck-hunting sites, and old cemeteries where ancestors were buried. Her education includes degrees in agricultural engineering from Auburn University and LSU. She moved to Fayetteville in the 1980s with her husband who is a professor at the University of Arkansas. She invested many years homeschooling her three children, all of whom are now UA graduates. Over twenty years ago, in the process of seeking hands-on learning opportunities for her students, she discovered the educational gem that is the Shiloh Museum. Interests include outdoor activities, working with children, and learning new things. Contact Judy.

William Edgar

William Edgar

Historic Preservation Manager

William spent much his time growing up in the small community of Edgar Springs Missouri, an area his family settled in the 1850’s. The buildings William oversees on the museum’s grounds are much like those he remembers from his youth. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental studies, which has led to work in fields ranging from forestry to education. His love for building preservation and history inspired him to build a home modeled after a turn-of-the-20th-century house that incorporated repurposed materials from the era. Contact William.

Danielle Hatch

Danielle Hatch

Program Manager

Danielle has lived all over the United States, from the West Coast to New England. Yet when she and her family discovered Northwest Arkansas, they put down their stakes and have remained ever since. Danielle is in charge of the museum’s public programs for both children and adults, which are designed to be engaging and accessible to all. She is also an artist whose sculptures have appeared throughout Northwest Arkansas. In addition to creating art, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three boys. Contact Danielle.

Kim Hosey

Kim Hosey

Education and Visitor Services Manager

Kim was born and raised in Texas, but when she moved to Arkansas to attend the University of Arkansas she fell in love with the region’s culture and history and decided to stick around. She started out majoring in biochemistry since she had a passion for science, but then realized that she mostly had a passion for the history of science. She changed her major to history, and the rest is, well, history! In her spare time, Kim loves to read, watch movies, and be active in any way. Contact Kim.

Aaron Loehndorf

Aaron Loehndorf

Grounds Curator and Collections Specialist

Aaron grew up in the Midwest exploring various historical sites. Splitting time between education and collections allows him to interact with amazing artifacts and still pass on his passion for history to younger generations. His interests include history and a multitude of outdoor activities. Contact Aaron.

Curtis Morris

Curtis Morris

Exhibits Manager

Curtis has worked at the museum since 1998, first as collections assistant and currently as exhibits manager. His responsibilities include designing and constructing permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits, as well as fixing stuff. A second-generation University of Arkansas alumnus, he has a BA in history and an MA in anthropology, both from UA-Fayetteville. Outdoor activities, water sports, vintage vehicles, and home improvement projects keep him out of trouble. If it has wheels, flies, floats, or shoots, he’s into it—the older the better. Currently he resides “out by the lake” with his four gals (spouse, two daughters, and loving labrador). Contact Curtis.

Jessica Lyons Parr

Jessica Lyons Parr

Development Manager

Jessica grew up in Clinton, Arkansas, and graduated from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville with a sociology degree. After graduation, she moved to Little Rock where she worked at Camp Aldersgate and the Girl Scouts, serving as a membership specialist and, later, volunteer specialist. She enjoys spending time outdoors with her two dogs, visiting art museums, and going on road trips. Contact Jessica.

Tina Pfister

Tina Pfister

Administrative and Store Manager

Tina grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but landed in Northwest Arkansas by literally picking a place on the map. Her only requirement was that she needed to be surrounded by culture with opportunities for outdoors activities, such as bicycle and hiking trials. This area fit the bill, and she now makes the Arkansas Ozarks her home! In her spare time, Tina can be found reading a good book or creating pottery. Contact Tina.

Marty Powers

Marty Powers

Maintenance/Grounds

A native of Fayetteville, Marty has deep roots in Washington County: his Mhoon ancestors were among the first settlers of the Round Mountain area east of Fayetteville, and several of his Powers ancestors were well-known stonemasons and builders in Fayetteville. A retired captain with the Fayetteville Fire Department, Marty and his wife Kendal are the parents of five daughters. Marty serves on the state board of directors for Camp Sunshine, a camp for children who have been severely burned. He is also a volunteer with Special Olympics. In his spare time, Marty enjoys hunting, fishing, and canoeing. Contact Marty.

Rachel Whitaker

Rachel Whitaker

Historian

Rachel grew up in Highfill, Arkansas, and attended school in nearby Gentry until she began homeschool in the seventh grade. She attended college at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Her educational background is in history and libraries. Rachel’s work in the history field has included internships at George Washington Carver National Monument in Diamond, Missouri, and the Hunter’s Home in Park Hill, Oklahoma. She also spent time among the Kiowa tribe in southwestern Oklahoma, working on a project to collect animal tales. Rachel is currently a history instructor at Connors State College in Muskogee, Oklahoma. She spends her limited spare time outside or reading something not assigned by her professors. Contact Rachel.

Mr. T

Mr. T

Ambassador

Mr. T is responsible for patrolling the museum grounds, greeting visitors, assisting the museum staff with opening and closing chores, climbing trees, and taking naps. Mostly taking naps. In his spare time, he enjoys lounging on the picnic table, concocting ways to manipulate humans, and eating an occasional catnip treat. Mr. T’s favorite books include Old Possum’s Practical Book of Cats by T. S. Eliot and The Lion in the Living Room by Abigail Tucker. Contact Mr. T.