Board of Trustees

Jane Dumas, Emerita, is a Kumeyaay Elder and a renown teacher and culture bearer of Kumeyaay language, traditions, and healing techniques. She was one of the original five women inducted into the San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame.

Ashley Gardner

Bill Hawkins, Emeritus

Shirley DeCourt Park a local philanthropist and activist, Shirley serves on several boards and committees with a focus on women’s issues.

Paula Doss, J.D. is Director of Human Resources for Equal Opportunity at UCSD and is an active participant in several African-American non-profit and arts activities in San Diego County.

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Board of Directors

Ashley Gardner, President - Retired Producer/Business Owner Ashley is a former local television host, TV producer and Founder of a non-profit video production company, Earth Vision Productions. Ashley serves on the County Commission on the Status of Women and is a former Chair; has been active in producing the Women’s Hall of Fame and was the 2006 Event Chair.  She volunteers to oversee the museum board and works closely with museum staff and volunteers.

Sarah Hurd, Vice President of External Affairs Sarah Hurd, a bridge builder by nature, balances her time between the political, and artivist (artist & activist combined) spheres. To date some of her activities include coordinator of political action forums, Board Member of the Women's History Museum and the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame, Director of Ladyfest San Diego 2005, League of Women Voters Board Member, and Shakti Rising volunteer and mentor.

Larry Baza, Funds Development Chair - Fine Arts Gallery Owner Former Executive Director of Centro Cultural de la Raza, Larry is active in several San Diego community organizations including the San Diego Democratic Club and the Women's History Museum and Educational Center.

Heather Dauler, Operations Director Heather currently works for the County of San Diego leading public safety projects and advising on public policy matters.  She is active in the community through other organizations such as the Juvenile Court Book Club and USA Leadership Corps.

Darlene Davies, Member of the Board A Professor Emerita at San Diego Statue University, educated in the field of Communicative Disorders, Ms Davies has a long history of community involvement and commitment having served on more than 15 Boards and Civic Commissions. She has received over a dozen Awards and Honors and has produced over 20 videos for the Mingei International Museum for broadcast on UCSD-TV

Emelyn de la Pena, Secretary is the Director of the Women’s Center at the University of California, San Diego. She holds a BA in Ethnic Studies and an MA in Education. Emelyn specializes in the areas of gender and violence, and the intersections of such issues to broader social justice movements. She has presented and trained at several national and local conferences; works closely with the Cross-Cultural Center and Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center to provide campus-wide training around social justice and diversity issues; and co-created the UCSD Chancellor’s Undergraduate Diversity Leadership Institute. Emelyn is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership. Her research interest explores the notions of public and private sphere domains and their relationship to Women's Center work

Adrienne Quismorio, Treasurer Adrienne is currently a tax accountant at a local CPA firm. She is involved in various volunteer organizations such as Kiwanis Club International and the Women’s History Museum and Educational Center. In the past, Adrienne was active with the Helen Woodward Animal Center, as well as various organizations geared towards children with special needs.

Olivia Puentes-Reynolds, Building Committee Chair Olivia is a manager with the El Cajon Police Dept. and one of the most prolific activists in San Diego on behalf of diversity in education and mentoring Chicanas. She is Chair of the Board of Overseers at UCSD.

Anne Hoiberg, Member of the Board A professional writer, speaker and research psychologist, Anne has written and presented extensively on women’s health, women in the military, domestic violence, alcohol abuse, health promotion, workman’s compensation cost containment, stress-related disease and role of military in society. She is the former president of the United Nations Association of San Diego and is currently the President and CEO of the International Museum of Human Rights at San Diego.

Gracia Molina de Pick, Member of the Board She is a long-time political activist on behalf of Civil Rights, Women's Rights, and Chicano rights. Gracia taught, indeed helped to found, Chicano Studies in San Diego. She was among the first five women inducted into our San Diego Women's Hall of Fame.

Vickie Butcher, J.D., Member of the Board Executive Director of Water for Children Africa, Vickie has served as an employee and board member of several governmental agencies and community service organizations including the Food and Drug Administration, the San Diego County Department of Health Services, the Auxiliary to the National Medical Association and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Task Force. She is the owner of It Is Written community bookstore.

Dorothy Annette, Member of the Board – Professional Artist and Musician Annette is a multi-media artist. She has had numerous exhibitions showing the scope of her talents in oil painting, drawing, Japanese brush, lithography, ceramics and singing. She exhibits her Japanese brush work in Ravenna, Italy in a group exhibition of Contemporary California artists. The Pacific Beach Library Gallery included her drawings in their First Drawing show. Annette recently returned from art residencies in Tuscany, Italy and the Michaelis School of Art at Cape Town University in South Africa. She is the Artist-in-Residence at BorrelliSpace, a community of artists that she established in 2004

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Staff

Ashley Gardner, Executive Director (Acting)

Karen L. Shelby, Ph.D., Assistant Director

Sue Gonda, Ph.D., Curator Sue teaches in the History Dept. at Grossmont College and is adjunct in the Women's Studies Dept. at SDSU. She specializes in American and American Women's History and has published articles, chapters and book reviews.

Devon Atchison, Ph.D., Archivist Devon Hansen Atchiston received her Bachelors Degree in American History from UC Santa Barbara. She then moved east to pursue Masters and Ph.D. degrees in American History at Boston University. Her doctoral thesis studies the historical impact and relevance of sun tanning in American history and popular culture from the early 1920s through the present. Devon currently teaches Early and Modern American History at Grossmont College.

Judy Altman, Volunteer Coordinator Former Executive Director of both the I Have A Dream Foundation-Los Angeles and the YWCA Pasadena-Foothill Valley, Judy helps to recruit volunteers for all events, projects, and other WHMEC needs.

Jaime Lyerly, Curatorial Assistant Jaime is a student majoring in Art History with a minor in Women’s Studies, with an emphasis on feminist and community art. She is student affiliate with the American Association of University Women, Women’s Caucus for Art, and San Diego Writers, INK. She volunteers at local schools in the art programs to inspire creativity and make art accessible for all.  She is also a photographer and designer for Mind Altering Records. She is currently working on the Women Who Dare exhibit.

Irene Lara, Ph.D., Oral Histories DirectorfDr. Lara is the oral historian at the museum and is an assistant professor at San Diego State University in the Women’s Studies program. Her specializations include the socialization of women, women and medicine, and Latinas in the Americas.

Jennifer Spencer, Exhibit Artist Jennifer has 13 years of experience in nonprofit management as the Executive Director of COVA (Combined Organizations for the Visual Arts) in San Diego. She has been a self-employed visual artist for over 30 years specializing in painting and photography.

Torie Quiñonez, Librarian Torie Quiñonez is a librarian and a feminist. When she isn't working in the Special Collections library at UCSD, she volunteers as the Women's History Museum's librarian. Through her interest in public history, community museums, and special libraries, she is proud to participate in the museum's project of illuminating the vibrant histories of women everywhere.

Amanda Dahl , Bookkeeper and Interim Treasurer Amanda is an accounting manager with a degree in finance. She has experience in a variety of industries and specializes in assisting start up firms through growth and building accounting depts. She is helping to update and organize the museum financial systems.

Gary Stephenson, IT Coordinator Gary holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and has over 30 years of professional engineering experience in developing real-time embedded computer systems. He has created software that operates under Unix, Windows, and various real-time operation systems.  His broad based experience includes the use, programming, and maintenance of the PC  through its application as a primary development platform, analysis tool, and communications vehicle.

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Volunteer Advisors & Liaisons

Amalia "Mollie" Solorzano, Community Outreach
She is a retired school teacher who assists in our literary outreach programs and connecting with the Chicano population in our Golden Hill neighborhood. Mollie and Sue Gonda are the two members who were on the Board with the organization's founder, Mary B. Maschal, in the mid-1990s

Judy Rosselli, Speakers Bureau She is a retired school teacher and devotes her time to international women's issues, having taught basic skills to women in several nations overseas. Judy is past-president of San Diego National Organization for Women. Judy supports the Museum’s outreach and Speaker’s Bureau programs.

Li Huai, MFA, Artistic Advisor Professor of Art at the University of California, San Diego she specializes in spatial design. She assisted the museum in their 2005 redesign and continues to serve as an artistic advisor on an on-going basis.

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