Meet Our Staff!

Administration

Beth Cradock, Finance & Marketing Assistant

BA Art History/Museum Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA)
Beth moved to Maine via Chicago, where, after a short stint at the Art Institute of Chicago, she spent five years at an international stock photography agency as their Assistant Financial Manager and Network Administrator. Prior to joining the Children's Museum of Maine in 2005, she worked in the finance department of a large property management company in Portland. Beth is happy to be contributing her varied experience to such a vital organization.

Sara Merrill, Director of Finance

BS Sports Management, Seton Hall University (S. Orange, NJ)
MBA Finance, Seton Hall University (S. Orange, NJ)
Sara grew up in Southern Maine and spent 7 years in New Jersey for her education. Sara worked for her alma mater in the athletic department during the basketball team's Sweet Sixteen run in 2000. While working, she was able to attend classes at night to earn her MBA. After 7 years in the Garden State, Sara longed to come home to Maine. She began working at the Children's Museum of Maine in 2002 as the Finance Manager. She loves that she can continue to work in the non-profit field, but instead of supporting talented athletes, she gets to support tomorrow's leaders.

Suzanne Olson, Executive Director

BA English, Wheaton College (Norton, MA)
Graduate work Liberal Studies and Educational Administration, University of Maine
In 2000 after twenty-eight years as a teacher and school administrator working with students from kindergarten through graduate school, Suzanne Olson joined the Children's Museum of Maine staff as the Museum's Executive Director. During her public school career, Suzanne worked primarily with special needs and gifted students in Massachusetts and Maine. She was instrumental in her school district's instituting Japanese, French, and Spanish language and culture classes for students in grades K-12 and in the establishment of an extensive arts program. Suzanne has held leadership positions with a variety of state level commissions, including the Maine Arts Commission, Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, and the Governor's Advisory Council on the Maine/Aomori, Japan, Sister State Relationship. In 1997 she received the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award.

Development And Marketing

Lucy Bangor, Marketing & PR Manager

BS Social Policy, Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
Raised in Falmouth, Lucy left Maine in 1999 to attend Northwestern University as a Harry Giltnane Scholar. In Evanston, she interned at the Rice Child and Family Center and led after school enrichment programs at Washington Elementary School. Upon moving to New York after graduation, she worked for Lord, Abbett & Co as a proxy analyst and corporate actions specialist. She returned to Maine in 2007 to pursue work in the non-profit sector and joined the Children's Museum of Maine Development Department in January of 2008, taking the role of Marketing & Public Relations Manager in August 2009.

Alicia Stokes Gaudet, Development Assistant

BA Communications, Boston College (Chestnut Hill, MA)
Originally from Augusta, Alicia returned to Maine upon her graduation from Boston College in May 2008. While at school, she interned at the Crittenton Women's Union in Boston where she realized the rewards of working for a non-profit. Alicia also studied French and spent some time abroad in Paris. Alicia is thrilled to be back in Maine and a part of such a wonderful organization!

Cathy Prichard, Director of Development

BA Economics, Skidmore College (Saratoga Springs, NY)
Cathy is a Cincinnati native who moved to Portland in 1982 after graduation from college. After spending one year at a CPA firm as a staff accountant, Cathy worked for ten years in advertising and marketing, first as an Account Executive for Business Digest Magazine and then as the Marketing Director for Direct Mail of Maine. While raising two children, from 1992-2007 she held part time positions at Smith Barney, EF Education and LL Bean. Cathy took the Development Director position in spring of 2007 after serving as a Museum Friends Committee member for 7 years, Museum Auction Chair for two years and Museum board member for three years. She is excited to be back in a fast paced environment that is also caring, creative and full of new challenges.

Education

Jamie Andrew, Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator

BFA Painting, Maryland Institute, College of Art (Baltimore, MD)
MA Cultural Sustainability, Goucher College (Towson, MD) (expected 2013)
Combining her love of world cultures, community and sustainable food is one of Jamie's favorite things about working at the Children's Museum & Theatre. In her career as an educator, Jamie incorporates the lens of an artist into facilitating creative, play-based learning across disciplines. Previously she has worked as an educator privately and at various organizations, including Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is also an exhibiting artist.

Louisa Donelson, Educator

BFA Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI)
A schooled painter and active member of Portland's art community, Louisa instills a sense of aesthetics and creativity into all of her work as an educator. Her previous education work spans the country and includes the Children's Creativity Museum in San Francisco as well as work with at-risk youth in California, New Hampshire and Maine. Louisa's deep curiosity about the world - from modern art to rocks and gems - informs her interdisciplinary approach to education with children of all ages.

Reba Short, Theatre Artistic Director

BA Theatre Arts, Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)
MA Theatre Education, Emerson College (Boston, MA) (expected 2013)
Reba spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, where she facilitated a clowning troupe and helped them teach theatre workshops for youth all over the south-west region of the country. Aside from directing five mainstage productions per year at the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine, Reba is an active member of Portland's thriving theatre community. Reba uses theatre to teach anything and anything to teach theatre, loves making art with young actors, and loves watching young people find their spark!

Ryan Wynne, Science Educator

BS Wildlife Science, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) (Syracuse, NY)
MPS Natural Resource and Recreation Management, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) (Syracuse, NY)
From the time he was a young boy in his native state of New York (the upstate part!), Ryan has been captivated by the outdoors and all things science. Ryan has a variety of experience working with youth in science-related programs as a volunteer educator for the NYS Parks Department and as a science educator with his college. He sees science education as a way to engage youth in their natural surroundings and aims to make science something fun and enjoyable.

Exhibits And Operations

Shawn Cole, Exhibits & Operations Assistant

BA Human Ecology, College of the Atlantic (Bar Harbor, ME)
Shawn landed at the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine by way of an academic internship during his penultimate college term. With that completed, he sent himself on a transcontinental bicycle odyssey, returning later to resume his work at the Museum, this time as an Americorps volunteer. He was later hired as an exhibits assistant, his present station. It has been an undulating and branched path since 2009. Shawn has happily indulged his plurality while at the Musuem & Theatre, from designing and building theatre sets and museum exhibits, stage managing, writing and performing musical scores for theatre productions, working as a contract artist, to most recently - for the amusement of Portland's toddlers and latency-aged children - playing Santa. Yet still, he suspects many stones remain unturned.

Chris Fitze, Exhibits & Operations Associate

BS Elementary Education, Manchester College (North Manchester, IN)
Chris Fitze arrived in Maine in 2002 from Lafayette, Indiana. That October, he started volunteering at the Children's Museum of Maine in the education department. Since then, Chris has worn many hats around the Museum. He has facilitated educational outreach, onsite programming, front desk work, and exhibit design and construction. Chris has an extensive theater background and occasionally designs sound for Portland Stage. Chris is a member of The Escapists sketch comedy and improv troupe. Chris believes, and has always believed, that play is an important part of any child's learning process.

Shana Jaques, Floor Coordinator

BFA Sculpture, Maine College of Art (Portland, ME)
Shana's previous experience includes L.L. Bean, DeLorme, and Thomas Mosier Cabinet Makers in Freeport, as well as five years experience at Maine Audubon's Society's Nature Stores. While at Audubon, she managed the store for the seasonal Scarborough Marsh Nature Center and was the first store manager for the new store at the Maine Wildlife Park in Grey. She came to the Children's Museum of Maine in 1998 and has enjoyed using her skills to support the mission of the Museum. She hopes that all who visit the Museum & Theatre find something that helps to inspire discovery and imagination through exploration and play.

Molly McLaughlin, Front Desk Staff

BS Child Development and Family Relations with Studio Art Minor, University of Maine (Orono, ME)
Molly is excited to be a member of the Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine family. She is a native of Old Town, Maine yet feels quite at home after living in the Portland area since 2003. Her background includes working with children with special needs and their families in a multitude of settings and honing her customer service skills with Unum for several years before joining the Museum staff. If you don't see her at the front desk she is likely to be volunteering around town, doing arts and crafts projects at home, hitting the ski slopes in the winter, or soaking up the sun on one of Maine's many beautiful beaches during the summer.

Renee Myhaver, Front Desk Staff

BA in Theater with German minor, Drew University (Madison, New Jersey)
Renee is a native of Portland, and was eager to return when she finished college in 2006. She has spent much of her time since then working in customer service positions for non-profit organizations, including a summer as the box office manager for the Theater at Monmouth. She has some fond memories of the Museum from when she was a kid, and was thrilled to join the staff in 2010. Now she divides her time between the front desk of the Museum & Theatre and the box office of Portland Stage. When not stamping hands, answering questions or selling tickets, she is usually writing, painting, knitting, crocheting or making fun things out of paper.

Lucia Stancioff, Visitor Experience Manager

BA Psychology, Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA)
Lucia has worked with children and parents for many years. She taught pre-kindergarten in Maine and Vermont, and she spent her summers working with Maine youth and coordinating staff at Tanglewood 4-H Camp and Learning Center, where she continues to volunteer as a board member. Lucia joined Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine staff in September of 2008; she enjoys creating an imaginative and safe environment in which children can explore!

Chris Sullivan, Director of Exhibits and Operations

BFA Painting, University of Maine (Presque Isle, ME)
MFA Studio Arts, Maine College of Art (Portland, ME)
Chris attended the University of Maine at Presque Isle on the Irving O. Bragg Trustee Tuition Waiver and Collins Art Scholarship. He received his BFA in painting, graduating summa cum laude in 2005. Immediately after, he enrolled in Maine College of Art's MFA studio arts program, where he graduated with distinction in 2007. In 2005, Chris started at the Museum while still in grad school working as the operations assistant, taking the position of Director in 2008. In his tenure at the Museum & Theatre he has planned and executed a number of exhibit and facilities projects, including the installation of the exhibits Have a Ball! and What About Whales? and the green renovation of the lower level restrooms.