Who’s Who at the Museum

  • Carrie Ronnander | Director & Curator

    c.ronnander@cvmuseum.com

    Carrie has long looked to the past to help understand the present. Her early exposure to history included trips to cemeteries and historic sites, visits with her great-great aunt who was born in 1878 in the Dakota Territory, and many grade school books about Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Civil War. Carrie began working at the Chippewa Valley Museum in 2000 as Curator. She came with a BA in History from Marquette University and a MA in History from the University of Minnesota. As the Executive Director and Curator, Carrie works to make the Chippewa Valley Museum a welcome place for all, where many stories are told and remembered.

  • diana Peterson | curator of collections

    d.peterson@cvmuseum.com

    Diana grew up surrounded by history in central Pennsylvania. Her children and grandchildren also developed a love of the past, and museums are part of every vacation itinerary. Graduating from UW-Eau Claire with a BA in English, most of her career was spent as a free-lance editor. From 2005-2018, she was the executive director at the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum, CVM’s next-door neighbor. She is honored to care for the artifacts that tell both the joy-filled and heart-rending stories of the Chippewa Valley residents whose lives they represent.

  • Liz Reuter | Archivist

    l.reuter@cvmuseum.com

    Liz Reuter came to the Chippewa Valley Museum in 2008 as Public Programs Coordinator with a BA in History with an emphasis in Public History from the University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire. Currently managing the library and archives, Liz enjoys connecting researchers to the past through historic photographs and archival collections.

  • Karen Jacobson | Educator

    k.jacobson@cvmuseum.com

    Karen was an elementary school teacher in Chippewa Falls for six years prior to filling the Museum Educator position in 2003. She jokes that her classroom has changed sizes from an average of 20 students to now over 4,000! Karen relies upon the talents of many volunteer Docents and other museum ambassadors to provide a wide variety of learning experiences for visitors, ages PreK-Adult.

  • Angela Allred | Program Coordinator

    a.allred@cvmuseum.com

    Angela actively nurtures a life-long love of education and community service. Some of her past efforts have included volunteering for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City and fulfilling two terms as an AmeriCorps Tutor in Dubuque, IA. Her involvement in Eau Claire has included substituting in Eau Claire and Altoona schools and performing with the Chippewa Valley Theater Guild. Angela holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Utah and has been the Program Coordinator at the Chippewa Valley Museum since February 2018.

  • Dorie Boetcher | Finance Manager

    d.boetcher@cvmuseum.com

    Dorie came to the Chippewa Valley Museum in 2000 after volunteering in the CVM Craft Group for a few months. She has used her prior accounting experience and Comprehensive Accounting degree from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in varying positions over the years, from Retail Manager to Operations Manager to Business Manager to Finance Manager. She feels fortunate to have worked with very dedicated co-workers and volunteers.

  • Jill York | Operations Manager

    j.york@cvmuseum.com

    Jill came to the Chippewa Valley Museum in 2009 as the Operations Assistant. She has a BA in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a MA in History with a focus on Public History from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. In 2011 she became the Volunteer Coordinator and currently is the Operations Manager. Jill has always enjoyed history and loves to be able to work in an environment where she can be a part of the community and local history of the Chippewa Valley.

  • Olaf Lind | Communications Specialist

    o.lind@cvmuseum.com

    Trained as a classical musician, Olaf has spent most of his professional life in communications and marketing for small, privately owned businesses to mid-size corporations. With a BA in Philosophy from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Olaf often entertains questions like “What is history” while walking through the museum. Working to connect people with the stories of the Chippewa Valley gives him a chance to be a part of communicating and understanding the acts, ideas, and events that shape our region.

  • Frank Barby | facilities engineer

    f.barby@cvmuseum.com

    Frank comes to us from a 58-bed hospital in Madison, where he was the Director of Plant Operations. Before that he worked as the Facilities Engineer at a local 85-room hotel. With a generous amount of experience in the trades, most of Frank’s professional career was in the Medical Industry. He worked as an Executive Director of Radiology for three separate hospital corporations, purchasing and installing CTs, MRIs, and radiographic machines. Lastly, as a 23-year veteran of the US Navy, Frank spent 10 years in the Submarine Service. Among his many duties, he served as an Independent Duty Hospital Corpsman, Medical Service Corps Officer (specializing in radiation physics), and a submarine repair and docking officer.

  • Jeanne Nyre | Contract Exhibit Designer

    J.Nyre@cvmuseum.com

    From small cases to displays that cover thousands of square feet, Jeanne loves the challenge of exhibit design. After receiving a BFA in Advertising and Design from University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in 1984 she spent time working in design in Minneapolis. In 1986 she became Exhibit Designer at Chippewa Valley Museum. Jeanne tries to see things through the visitor’s eyes and take them on a journey to provoke memories or to experience something new.

Chippewa Valley Museum Board

Pieter Graaskamp
Estimator
Documation

Mary Ann Hardebeck, Ed.D
Superintendent
Eau Claire Area School District

Melissa Jones

stay-at-home parent

Sheila Kohls
VP of Operations
Royal Credit Union

Carla Leuck
AVP - Marketing Officer
Charter Bank

AJ Liedl
Creative & Brand Manager
University of Wisconsin-Stout

Chuck Lindvig
Retired

Donella Magadance, President
Retired, Peoples Bank Midwest

Heather Ann Moody, Ed.D.
Assistant Professor
UW-Eau Claire American Indian Studies

Travis Schroeder
Project Architect
Ayres Associates

Jerry Shea, Vice President
President
Market and Johnson

Jeff Stevens, Secretary
Owner
Chestnut Consulting

Karen Tomesh, Treasurer
Asset Manager
Commonweal Development Corp.

Chippewa Valley Museum Foundation Board

Becky Adamski Krische, Century21
Ryan Balts, Royal Credit Union, Vice President
Douglas Hoffer, City of Eau Claire 
Kent Martinson, Charter Bank Investment Services
Julie Thoney, Xcel Energy, President
Debbie Gough, Retired, UW-Eau Claire
Shelly Rihn, Great Northern Corporation
Hannah Walsh, CliftonLarsonAllen Wealth, LLC