Local Host Committee

Thank you to the Houston Local Host Committee:

Co-Chairs:

William Harris, Space Center Houston
Rayanne Darensbourg, Children’s Museum Houston

Leadership Team:

Michele Leal, City of Houston, Mayor’s Office of the Arts
Bonna Kol, Asia Society Texas Center
Gary Weisserman, Holocaust Museum Houston
Leila Cartier, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
Melodie Wade, Houston Museum of Nature & Science

Houston Local Host Committee Members:

Gabriela Magaña, ALMAAH
Cynthia J Giron, ALMAAH
Stephanie Todd-Wong, Asia Society Texas Center
Karen Farber, Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Trudi Smith, Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Desmond Bertrand-Pitts, Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
Ethel Grant, Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
Alyssa Schmalenberger, Children’s Museum Houston
Xandra Eden, DiverseWorks
Jennifer Gardner, DiverseWorks
Katherine Demsky, Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston
Madeleine Calcote-Garcia, Fort Bend Museum
Robert Campbell, Fort Bend Museum
Steven Evans, FotoFest
Madi Murphy, FotoFest
Denise Alexander, Galveston Historical Foundation
Wendy Warren, Holocaust Museum Houston
Kate Ryther, Houston Fire Museum Inc
Craig Farrell, Houston Fire Museum Inc
Bryan Stonesifer, Houston First Corporation
Daniel Lopez, Houston First Corporation
Sixto Wagan, Houston in Color
Ruerob Jackson, Houston in Color
Michael Seaberry, Houston Museum District
Jillian Simpson, Houston Museum of African American Culture
Makaela Reed, Houston Museum of African American Culture
Jacquelyn Distefano, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Alicia Fernandez, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Angel Deleon, Houston Museum of Natural Science
Creighton Kahoalii, Houston Zoo
Mallet Stafford, Houston Zoo
Rozina Mussani, Ismaili Center
Noshin Lalani, Ismaili Center
Anna Walker, Lawndale Art & Performance Center
Jeremy Johnson, Lawndale Art & Performance Center
Anita Tiller, Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, a HC P3 facility
Kari Hernandez, Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, a HC P3 facility
Erin Rolfs, Moody Center for the Arts
Lauren Cross, Moody Center for the Arts
Gary Tinterow, Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Carli van de Kerkhof, Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Emily Harris, Public Art of the University of Houston System
Rachel Mohl, Public Art of the University of Houston System
Anabeth Guthrie, Public Content
Amy Rogers, San Jacinto Battleground & Monument Museum
Kali Ellis, San Jacinto Battleground & Monument Museum
Tracy Martinez, Space Center Houston
Jonathan Satchel, Space Center Houston
Keesha Bullock, Space Center Houston
Elisha Oliver, Texas Folklife
Hazel Roberts, Texas Folklife
Allison Harrell, Texas Historical Commission
Donna Barker, Texas Historical Commission
Ana Trejo, The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park
Alison Bell, The Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park
Adrienne Barker, The Historic George Ranch Association
Susan Soliz, The Historic George Ranch Association
Elissa Davis, The Jung Center
Mary Magsamen, The Menil Collection
Carolina Borja, The Menil Collection
Alvia Wardlaw, University Museum at Texas Southern University
Rita Reyes, University Museum at Texas Southern University

The Local Host Committee plays a critical role in ensuring the overall success of the AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo: 

Hosting evening events that showcase the depth and breadth of the local culture.
Recruiting and managing local and national volunteers to support the onsite logistics for the program. 
Acting as hospitality and tourism ambassadors for the host city during the meeting. 
Using the annual meeting to garner publicity for the local cultural community, as well as the annual meeting. 
Coordinating and executing experiential learning opportunities. 
Raising funds to ensure an inclusive and accessible meeting to provide scholarships, deeply discounted registration, a volunteer program, ASL interpreters, captioning, and more.