Jennifer Wheatley – President
Jennifer is currently the COO of Siskiyou Corporation, a manufacturing company with a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility. She oversees the operations, finances, and human resources of the organization.

In addition, she is a self-employed consultant and a coach at the Institute for Philanthropic Excellence. in the past she was the Executive Director of the RCC Foundation and the Dutch Bros Foundation. She was also a board member at Kairos and Siskiyou Community Health Center.

Nancy Sterling - Vice President
Nancy grew up in Seattle and graduated from the University of Washington with a BFA. Entering the world of advertising in the late 60's she became one of the first women in the country to be promoted to Art Director in an ad agency, and shortly thereafter to Creative Director. She worked at agencies in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Georgetown, staying in this career for about 20 years until she left advertising to open her own graphic design agency. Today she is excited to be able to devote almost full time to pursuing a new direction - dimensional mixed media wall hangings and sculptures using clay, wood, and findings. She also enjoys engaging with her community.

Marla Coughran - Secretary
Marla has been a resident of Grants Pass for 19 years. She and her husband of 43 years have 20  acres and a home they have lovingly renovated. Joining the Master Gardeners was her first effort to learn about the area and meet people. Having grown up in the Southern San Joaquin Valley of California, she found that the climate, seasons, and soil were very different here! Marla spent 33 years as an elementary teacher, with a passion not only for the students, but for mentoring beginning teachers, and staff development. “My only exposure to art was DBAE training (Discipline Based Art Education) through the Getty Museum in the late 90’s. This opportunity to learn art history and then share it on the 5^th grade Field Trips has been a perfect fit for me, both challenging and fun. Serving on the GPMA Board is a privilege.

JoAnn Stevens - Treasurer
JoAnn moved to Grants Pass in January 2021. She holds a BA in Art (studio) and currently teaches art classes at the museum and at Handprints in Grants Pass. Before moving she spent twenty three years in film and television, starting in the Art Department and then moving to Production Accounting. She has been an active volunteer for many different organizations both in OR and CA. After volunteering with the Josephine County Food Bank for almost a year she has been hired to be the new Development Coordinator. She loves all things art & creativity and is excited to join the board.

Cal Kenney
Cal has been a board member for a very long time. He holds a Bachelor of Arts from Chico State College and was in the Peace Corps in St. Vincent and the Grenadines from 1981-1983. He was employed by Greenleaf Industries for 25 years in Grants Pass. He has participated in Frog-O-Faire and is on the Committee on Public Art (CoPA) for the city. He originated and has facilitated the museum’s Second Friday Poetry Sharing which is in its 11th successful year. He enjoys woodworking, crafts, travel, gardening (including flowers), reading, politics and more. He sells some of his art in Gallery One as well as the Arts and Crafters Market on Saturdays.

Porter Palomino
After 32 years in San Diego, it was time for a change of scenery. I have family in Grants Pass and had been coming up here over the last 20 years loving the greenery and seasons (something we don’t have in So. California). Spending 21+ years in the foodservice industry has made me something of a foodie so I fell in love with all the wineries here in Oregon, and the new and interesting restaurants opening in Grants Pass. The change in scenery also prompted me to get back into real estate another love of mine.

I thoroughly enjoy anything having to do with the arts so joining the Board was a wonderful opportunity for me to give back to this great community. Our museum is a small gem, so I will spread the word for all to come in and see what the museum has to offer.

Griffyn Storm
Griffyn is the Marketing Director at Visit Grants Pass, where he has worked for over three years, helping share the story of Grants Pass and the surrounding region. He lives in the Applegate Valley and moved to Southern Oregon from Portland, Oregon, where he was raised.
He attended Concordia University and, before that, went to an arts academy for high school. He has always had a strong interest in the arts, especially comics, illustration, and logo design. These creative interests have been part of his life both as personal hobbies and in his professional work. He enjoys finding ways that visual storytelling and design can help connect people to places, ideas, and community.
Griffyn is excited to support the Grants Pass Museum of Art and help celebrate the important role art plays in our community's culture and identity.

Chris Walker
Christian (Chris) Walker is a lifelong Grants Pass resident, wannabe artist, and enthusiastic appreciator of the truly talented creatives among us. Ever since first facing 'artistic censorship' for a sketch he made in place of, and covering, his 3rd-grade homework, Chris has been an advocate for the power of art. He's 24 now, and, in the years since a busy childhood, has played many a role:

As a Grants Pass High School Valedictorian; as Assistant Executive Director for the local Table Rock Foundation where he helped create youth summer camps; as a Covid-era masked traveler; as a don't-call-him-angsty poet; as a construction contractor (AKA lawn-mower); as a student at the University of Oregon's (UO) Clark Honors College in Planning, Public Policy, and Management; as an intern for federal leaders in the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate; as a political fundraiser; as the UO Student Government's Director of Basic Needs; as a researcher of those who used art ("artists") to fight the deadly stigma and bigotry towards those living with HIV/AIDS at the turn of the century ; and, most importantly, as a friend to all.

It may be a long list ever in flux, but, Heraclitus once said, "...you cannot step into the same river twice," and even Oscar Wilde once wrote, "Life imitates art...".

Staff

Hyla Lipson – Executive Director
Thirty five years ago, Hyla took a class at the University of Oregon on how to run a museum. Thirty five years later, she is the executive director of the Grants Pass Museum of Art.
In between she owned a property management company, a retail nursery, and for 35 years was the co-owner of Fiberoptic Lighting, a manufacturing firm in Grants Pass.
Hyla has been involved in nonprofit organizations for years. She was a trustee for the Carpenter Foundation, a trainer for the Ford Family Foundation, a board member of the Women’s Crisis Support Team, Barnstormers, the Asante Foundation, and is a field representative of the Oregon Community Foundation.
She is happy to be working at the museum. She has many goals and hopes to see them completed before she retires (which she has no current plans to do).

Stephanie Girdlestone - Administrative Specialist
Stephanie is originally from California and she’s lived in Grants Pass for 21 years, vacationing here often as a child. She loves the hometown feel of Grants Pass. The downtown area especially. When not working she can be found shopping, hanging out with friends and enjoying the variety of restaurants we have here. Having always worked in customer service she’s excited to share her skills with us and meet new and interesting people.

Tina Albrecht - Gallery One Coordinator 

Though Tina originally started in printing at a shop in California, she’s worked as a freelance artist for many years. After completing her Associate Degree in Art in 2000 and becoming familiar with the styles and techniques of many artists from the past, she experimented in a variety of media. From painting tarps and murals to designing pewter charms and sculpting figurines, she’s worked for a variety of clients and customers in addition to selling her own paintings and creations in different locations in Southern Oregon. Managing an art gallery wasn’t something she originally imagined doing, but it seemed like a truly natural progression with her experience in art and a desire to interact with fellow artists.
She loves living in the Grants Pass area and enjoys tandem biking with her husband, hiking, swimming, flower gardening, and mountain dulcimer playing.

Summer Sheets – Person of many talents
Summer has worked in many fields from Animal Trainer for movies to Therapeutic Riding Instructor to Manager of herb and natural product companies. She enjoys animals, spending time with her family and her energetic, creative, fun-loving son, coaching soccer, and traveling. She also enjoys making spreadsheets just as much as taking creative photos. Working with and for people to help create a more comfortable life physically as well as personally, has fulfilled her as much as she hopes it does the people she helps.