About
People

Meet the People of UMMA

This is UMMA — a passionate group of individuals who believe that art is a fundamental human right. We are a collective and a culture. A collective driven by the importance of accessible art in our communities. A culture sustained and strengthened by respecting everyone’s voice and contribution.

Jump to:

Director’s Office
Art in Public Spaces
Collections & Registration
Curatorial Affairs
Development
Exhibitions & Publications
Finance & Operations
Marketing & Public Relations
Museum Technology
Public Experience & Learning
Visitor Services

Director’s
Office

734.763.9954

olsenc@umich.edu

You can usually find me... in storage, exclaiming over new acquisitions!

Christina Olsen

Director, University of Michigan Museum of Art

(she/her)

734.763.9954

fikes@umich.edu

When not at UMMA I love going for long walks with my husband and our dogs, connecting with my family, reading, baking and enjoying a great meal with good friends!

Sandy Fike

Executive Assistant to the Director

734.615.2827

alisunnj@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I like playing with my kids, working on home renovation and design projects, and going to the farmer's market on Saturdays.

Alisunn Jones

Manager of Special Projects & Strategic Implementation

(she/her)

Art in Public Spaces

jrcarty@umich.edu

Jenny Carty

Curator of Art in Public Spaces

734.615.7754

elarso@umich.edu

You can usually find me... popping into curators' offices to check on exhibition progress.

Erika Larson

Manager of Art in Public Spaces

(she/her)

Collections
& Registration

My fondest memory from working at the museum is the Student Appreciation event. It really helped me come closer to my co-workers and establish a deeper connection to the workplace community.

Cal

Student Art Handler

734.764.1178

ccgross@umich.edu

You can usually find me... in collection storage admiring my favorite pieces of art.

Corey Gross

Chief Registrar

(he/him/his)

qianhe@umich.edu

For conservation requests, please reach out to my colleague Katie Prichard

Qian He

Asian Art Conservator

734.647.0527

katprich@umich.edu

My fondest memory at UMMA is... unpacking and cataloguing my favorite artwork in the collection, 'Journey Without Maps VIII' by David Budd.

Katie Prichard

Associate Registrar

(she/her)

Carly is a Senior pursuing a degree in Anthropological Archaeology, focusing in Maritime Archaeology and the study of Oceania. Carly is interested in Museum Studies and indigenous approaches to archaeology.

Carly

2024 SAB Member & Art Handler

(she/her)

734.764.8873

katstadt@umich.edu

You can usually find me... cataloging the collection and updating the database.

Katie Stadtmiller

Assistant Registrar

(she/her)

Curatorial
Affairs

734.647.0526

ldbecker@umich.edu

You can usually find me... needlepointing during meetings

Laura De Becker

Chief Curator Helmut and Candis Stern Curator of African Art

(she/her)

734.764.2426

jfriess@umich.edu

You can usually find me... debating between a small and large coffee at the UMMA Cafe.

Jennifer M. Friess

Associate Director of Curatorial Affairs Associate Curator of Photography

(she/her)

When I'm not working on museum projects, I enjoy working out and volunteering around Ann Arbor. I am also a Ph.D. student in the History of Art department and one of my favorite things to do is to take my students to visit UMMA.

Róisín

Graduate Student Curatorial Intern

(she/her)

karakfma@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I enjoy exploring local coffee shops and visiting the Farmers Market.

Kara Ma

Program Manager of the Chinese Object Study Workshops & Chinese Art Research Specialist

(she/her)

734.763.0804

avmiller@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I like to run around the playground with my son and seek out any bit of nature I can find.

Ashley Miller

Assistant Curator of African Art

(she/her)

734.647.0523

onatsu@umich.edu

You can usually find me... looking at an art work in study rooms or galleries.

Natsu Oyobe, PhD

Curator of Asian Art

734.764.3894

erindahl@umich.edu

My fondest memory at UMMA is...the fall 2023 opening weekend - it was amazing to see the museum buzzing with excitement, and for all of the hard work and ideas to come to fruition!

Emily Rindahl

Administrative Assistant to the Artistic Program

(she/her)

robinkwi@umich.edu

The art movement that best matches my personal vibe is 1970s New York — raw, conceptual, spiritual; great jeans and taste in music.

Robin K. Williams

Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

(she/her)

Chang

Graduate Student Curatorial Intern

Development

734.647.2064

meaclark@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I love going on adventures with my family, traveling, enjoying Michigan summers, reading, making pottery, and exploring other museums.

Meaghan Clark

Assistant Director of Development, Annual Giving & Events

(she/her)

734.764.1983

jemcc@umich.edu

My fondest memory at UMMA...was being a part of all the reopening festivities when the Frankel wing was completed. It was amazing to see all the excitement as visitors experienced it for the first time.

Jenna Morgan

Stewardship Manager

(she/her)

734.763.6467

dodette@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA I like...gardening, traveling, and restoring my 100-year-old home.

Deborah D. Odette

Senior Associate Director of Planned Giving

(she/her)

734.647.3132

syrichar@umich.edu

You can usually find me... grabbing an iced latte at the UMMA Café!

Sydney Richards

Associate Director of Development, Individual Giving

(she/her)

Annie is a senior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in Gender and Health.

Annie

2024 SAB Member, Student Program Assistant, & Development Intern

734.647.0516

asamps@umich.edu

You can usually find me... talking with curators about their ideas for new exhibitions.

Anna Sampson

Chief Development Officer

(she/her)

Exhibitions
& Publications

734.764.8319

mdcasad@umich.edu

Matt Casadonte

Senior Exhibitions Technician

734.936.0163

andco@umich.edu

You can usually find me... pouring over spreadsheets and, on the best days, seeing an exhibition or a project get installed. In my free time at the museum I love to wander the galleries – you can always find things you haven't noticed before.

Andrew Cohen

Exhibitions & Programs Project Manager

(he/him)

734.615.8186

kaweiss@umich.edu

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." -Dolly Parton

Katie Derosier

Director of Exhibitions & Publications

(she/her)

734.763.8453

alexanea@umich.edu

You can usually find me... helping prepare artwork for display in the museum's collections rooms and doing a variety of tasks to prep for upcoming exhibitions.

Alexandra Eason

Assistant Exhibitions Technician

(she/her)

734.764.8012

kholoka@umich.edu

You can usually find me... installing art in the galleries.

Kate Holoka

Senior Exhibitions Technician

(she/her)

734.615.2796

savah@umich.edu

You can usually find me... deep in thought playing around with ideas for engaging exhibition graphics.

Savanna Hudson

Exhibitions Graphic Designer

(she/her)

Finance
& Operations

734.647.0985

efarrel@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I like to read, write, watch movies, & listen to/play music! And maybe a little splash of video games...

Ethan Farrelly

Financial Specialist

(he/him)

Outside of UMMA, I play rugby! I am currently on the UM Women's team and we have won two national championships.

Ella

Student Event Host

(she/they)

734.764.4596

marlie@umich.edu

What is your most niche personal interest...I collect VHS tapes and enjoy creating themed double feature movie nights.

Marlie Hooper

Events Host Assistant

(she/her)

734.660.5804

jmorehe@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA... I like to spend time with my family and pets, host book club, and go on silly friend dates.

Jenna Morehead

Facilities Manager

(she/her)

734.647.0521

hnickel@umich.edu

You can usually find... me in the shop, merchandising and working with my wonderful staff of Shop Sales Reps and Visitor's Services Navigators.

Hayden Nickel

Retail Operations Assistant Manager

"There is nothing more artistic than to love people"

Juana

Student Event Host

(she/her)

734.763.7198

patanash@umich.edu

The art piece that best matches my vibe is... Caravaggio's Judith & Holofernes, it's a story of a woman who was underestimated. The artist was also underestimated.

Patricia Scott

Director of Finance & Administration

(she/her)

734.763.9051

nvanh@umich.edu

You can usually find me... unboxing new product arrivals in the UMMA Shop!

Neil A. Van Houten

Retail Operations Manager

(he/him)

Fictional characters that might best represent me are both Dipper and Mabel Pines from 'Gravity Falls'. Dipper, like me, is curious, loves learning, and can be very type-A. Like Mabel, I love sweaters and can be more relaxed and fun around people I feel close to.

Kaitlyn

Student Event Host

(she/her)

Marketing
& Public Relations

734.647.0524

ankney@umich.edu

Christopher Ankney

Director of Marketing and Public Relations

(he/him)

bickelk@umich.edu

If I was a dessert, I would like to be a Madeleine, their recipe is timeless and true - plus they look so cool!

Kate Bickel

Marketing Project Assistant

(she/her)

My most niche interest is Formula one. I often wake up very early to watch the races with my sister since they usually occur in Europe. I love to discuss the drivers and race strategy.

Prentiss

Student Marketing & Media Assistant

(she/her)

nkagerer@umich.edu

You can usually find me...walking around the museum talking with guests, getting inspiration, or taking photo and video for social media... follow us @ummamuseum :)

Neil Kagerer

Community Marketing & Social Media Specialist

(he/him)

moatru@umich.edu

Outside of UMMA I like... being out on a hike taking pictures of every single flower, mushroom, or bug I see.

Molly Trudeau

Web Content Specialist

(she/her)

Museum
Technology

773.987.6527

shayla@umich.edu

You can usually find me... in the basement working on bug fixes.

Shayla Johnson

Web Applications Developer

You can usually find me...coding on the apse couches, consuming an embarrassing number of iced coffees at the cafe, perusing the store for memorabilia.

Anushka

Student Web Developer

(she/her)

734.763.0256

jmturner@umich.edu

You can usually find me... quietly helping other staff so they can make a positive impact on our visitors.

John Turner

Director of Museum Technology

(he/him)

Public Experience
& Learning

734.615.9815

lherbert@umich.edu

Lisa Herbert Borgsdorf

Associate Director for Public Experience & Learning

(she/her)

734.615.8181

dchoberk@umich.edu

You can usually find me... talking about art.

David Choberka

Mellon Foundation Curator for University Learning and Programs

(he/him)

734.846.6108

briannon@umich.edu

You can usually find me... hanging out with UMMA's Student Advisory Board members, devising awesome student programming, introducing them to the wonderful world of museum work, and being a hype-woman for their creative social media endeavors.

Briannon Cierpilowski

Manager of Student Programs

mahalina@umich.edu

Mahalina Dimacali

Program Coordinator

(she/they/siya)

You can usually find me... teaching. in a gallery

Michaela

University Learning & Programs Rackham Doctoral Intern

(she/her)

kafi@umich.edu

Kafi Laramore

K-12 Teaching & Learning Coordinator

734.678.0903

jleija@umich.edu

You can usually find me... with the PEL team strategizing about upcoming events and other activities in the museum.

James P. Leija

Deputy Director for Public Experience and Learning

(he/they)

Stella is a Junior studying Art and Design and Political Science with a minor in Urban Studies.

Stella

2024 SAB Member & Student Program Assistant

(they/them)

Annie is a senior studying Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience with a minor in Gender and Health.

Annie

2024 SAB Member, Student Program Assistant, & Development Intern

Eva Rosenwald

Outreach Coordinator for Civic Engagement

“She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt that’s one of the reasons why they did.” ― Zelda Fitzgerald

Robyn Thum-O’Brien

Irving Stenn Jr. Fellow in Public Humanities and Museum Pedagogy

(she/her)

734.615.6247

mdegroo@umich.edu

You can usually find me... in the galleries with a group of young students and teachers.

Grace VanderVliet

Curator for Museum Teaching and Learning

(she/her)