Staff Profile: Tamara Williamson

Writing the drop-in programs on the dry erase board!

I, your humble blogger, have decided to profile myself!

Position: Program Specialist

Hometown: Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM: Three years and three months

Favorite exhibit: CMOM-TV

Favorite book as a child and why: Green Eggs and Ham, because it was the first book I was able to read by myself

Hobbies: Reading, cooking, yoga, watching old movies (my favorite is All About Eve)

First museum ever visited: Probably the Pink Palace, like everyone else!

Fun fact: I love to bake, and sometimes I bake cookies for the CMOM staff. They particularly like gingersnaps!

Staff Profile: Pamela Lax

Such a sweet, hardworking lady!

Name: Pamela Lax

Position: Houskeeping Supervisor

Hometown: Somerville, TN

How long have you been at CMOM? 6 and a half years

Favorite exhibit: Kroger

Favorite book as a child: Little Red Riding Hood

Hobbies: Watching movies, spending time with friends, and being with my son

First museum ever visited: The Pink Palace

Fun fact: I was in ROTC in high school.

Staff Profile: Brad Laney



Brad is leading the teen volunteer orientation.

Name: Brad Laney

Position: Visitor Services/Volunteer Manager

Hometown: Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM?: 15 years

Favorite exhibit: Going Places, with the FedEx Airplane

Favorite book as a child: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Hobbies: Playing golf, traveling, and going to University of Memphis and Memphis Grizzlies games

First museum ever visited: Pink Palace

Fun fact: I've made two holes in one.

Staff Profile: Randy McKeel

Name: Randy McKeel

Position: Chief Financial Officer

Hometown: Memphis

How long have you been at CMOM: This time 14 years and counting!

Favorite exhibit: Creative Constructions – because I loved playing with Legos when I was little – and now I love playing with Legos with my son!

Favorite book as a child/why?: The Hobbit – it was the first “big” book I read – then I tackled the Lord of the Rings series after that

Hobbies: Reading, traveling, antiques/auctions, shopping, spending time with my son

First museum ever visited: Pink Palace

Fun fact: I did my college internship at CMOM in 1991 right after CMOM opened on June 16, 1990! I also managed the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) for two years before it moved to Washington, DC.

Staff Profile: Sharon Rogness

Name: Sharon Rogness

Position: Member Services Coordinator

Hometwon: Moses Lake, Washington

How long have you been at CMOM: 4 and a half months

Favorite exhibit: the Fire Truck

What was your favorite book as a child and why? The Nancy Drew Series--I loved her sense of adventure and her fearlessness.

Hobbies: Yoga, running, photography, and watching Tiger basketball

First museum ever visited: Lynn Meadows Discovery Center in Gulfport, MS

Fun fact: I was Mrs. Mississippi in 1996!

Staff Profile: Chara Mitchell

Name: Chara Mitchell

Position: Programs Assistant

Hometown: Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM?: 7 months

Favorite exhibit: The Kroger grocery store, of course!

Favorite book as a child: Ramona and Beezus

Hobbies: Party planning

First museum ever visited: The Children’s Museum of Memphis and the Pink Palace

Fun fact: I met Muhammad Ali when I was four years old.

Staff Profile: Alex Smythe

Alex is a jack of all trades!

Name: Alex Smythe

Position: Visitor Service Coordinator

Hometown: Midtown Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM: I have been working here for a little over a month.

Favorite exhibit: I really love the Tree House, I think the paper plane launcher is really fun. Watching kids try to figure it out then when they finally launch a plane and seeing their faces light up is just a great feeling.

Favorite book as a child/why? There was a series called “Redwall” by an author named Brian Jacques. The series was an easy-to-read fantasy about mice living in a kingdom trying to defend themselves against the evil rats. It was a great read. In fact, I picked it up recently to see if it was as good as when I was a kid and I still really enjoyed it.

Hobbies: Too many…I fly traction kites, Photography, soccer, and I am a carpenter.

First museum I ever visited: My earliest memories of museums were both of the Children’s Museum of Memphis, as well as the Pink Palace. I loved museums as a child, I was fascinated in everything and always wanted to learn and understand.

Fun Fact: Before working at the Children’s Museum I was a professional photographer, and I had a darkroom for developing 35mm film in my basement when I was growing up.

Staff Profile: Felicia Peat




Felicia is reading Green Eggs and Ham to enraptured visitors!

 Name: Felicia Peat

Position: Director of Education and Programs

Hometown: Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM? Since May 1993

Favorite exhibit: CMOM-TV

Favorite book as a child: Amelia Bedelia

Hobbies: Reading and swimming

First museum ever visited: The Pink Palace, on a school field trip

Fun fact: I have had stories published. Also, I was Miss LeMoyne-Owen College—the only “Mrs.” to ever become Miss LeMoyne-Owen College—while serving with the Student Government Association of the school.

Staff Profile: Vania Rentrop

Name: Vania Rentrop

Position: Gallery assistant/cashier

Hometown: Memphis, TN

How long have you been at CMOM?: Almost two months!

Favorite exhibit: the Treehouse

Favorite book as a child: Corduroy by Don Freeman. I felt that my adventurous (mischievous) nature was conveyed well within those pages.

Hobbies: In my spare time, I enjoy baking and cooking. I also consider myself a bookworm and a camera nerd.

First museum ever visited: The Pink Palace

Fun fact: I have visited all 48 continental U.S. states in my dad's 18-wheeler.

Staff Profile: Rena Gatewood

Name: Rena Gatewood
Position: Gallery Assistant
Hometown: Memphis, TN
How long have you been at CMOM? Two months
Favorite exhibit: The Dentist's Office
What was your favorite book as a child? Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Hobbies: Bike riding and reading
First museum ever visited: The Pink Palace
Fun fact: I started out as a teen volunteer during the summer of 2011.

Staff Profile: Cliff Drake

Name: Cliff Drake
Position: Director of Operations
Hometown: Covington, TN
How long have you been at CMOM?: 7 years
Favorite exhibit: Going Places
Favorite book as a child: Tom Sawyer
First museum ever visited: Casey Jones Museum in Jackson, TN
Hobbies: model cars, gardening
Fun fact: I love to water ski. I still have my favorite ski and vest.

Staff Profile: Jim Hyde

Name: Jim Hyde
Position: Exhibits Manager
Hometown: Grew up in Little Rock, but I moved around quite a bit
How long at CMOM: 14 years
Favorite exhibit: CMOM-TV--I love watching the young performers.
Favorite book as a child: Are You My Mother?; my mom would read it to me while my soup cooled off.
First museum ever visited: Ripley's Believe It Or Not in St. Augustine, FL. The magic faucet left quite an impression!
Hobbies: Writing, playing and recording my own music
Fun fact: In 1997, I was hired by CMOM for a week's worth of work. They just kept finding more things for me to do!

Yummmmm...

Come Tour the Jelly Belly Bus!

Friday, May 8, 11am-3pm

The Jelly Belly Bus is making a stop at The Children's Museum! The bus will be on the parking lot, and visitors may take a FREE tour inside the vehicle to see how their favorite jelly beans are made. You can win cool prizes, too! Bring your sweet tooth and see the fascinating facts on this American icon!

(A little side note...Friday is also my birthday, and I KNOW you all want to come celebrate with me! I'll be the one wearing the princess tiara and the big silly grin on my face!)

Friday the 13th

BOO! (Ok, I realize it’s March, but I miss Halloween…give me a break!)

I’m Lauren, and I’m the most recent addition to the CMOM Program Staff—that means I’m definitely giving Lonski a run for her money when it comes to the museum’s most awesome employee (just kidding…or am I?)! I’m super excited to be a part of this place—I remember loving CMOM as a kiddo myself, and being back in Memphis after a 3-year adventure in New York City, I’m thrilled to return to Tennessee as part of the best Children’s Museum ever! I promise to do my best keeping “y’all” (oh, how I’ve miss using such a great Southern word!) updated on CMOM’s latest programs and events.

CMOM's current traveling exhibit, "Children of Hangzhou: Connecting With China" (open through May 31) is an awesome way for kids and adults to learn about both traditional and modern Chinese culture through the eyes of 4 children living in Hangzhou. Every Saturday, I'll meet all you guys for a hands-on activity (think fun crafts or traditional games played by Chinese children) in our "China & You" program. Check out CMOM's website for even more information on all the cool stuff you can discover in this super exhibit. (http://www.cmom.com/?q=traveling) But hurry! It's only here until the end of May!

Come celebrate St. Patty's Day tomorrow (Saturday, March 14) the authentic way with our guest visitors--traditional Irish dancers! They'll be performing in the Malco at 1pm- you definitely don't want to miss it!

Don't forget to check out the online Calendar of Events (http://www.cmom.com/?q=Calendar) to keep up with all the fun stuff we're doing here at CMOM! See ya soon!

Meet the CMOM Program Staff!!! (oh, & Education)

Hey All!

So, CMOM's Art Smart Studio became a tad more colorful today! We've just added a staff wall. I cut out all the circles myself! Ok, a machine kinda helped me! It was something that I was inspired to do while at the Association of Children's Museum's conference in Denver.

BTW, the ACM conference was GREAT! Emily, the Education Manager, and myself learned a whole slew of new things. It really re-energized us!!! The momentum that we brought back will keep going and going until...well we don't have an end date just yet. Check back later!

Anywho, next time you're at the Museum, come by Art Smart and see our Staff Wall. Who knows, you just might learn a little something about us! I sure did! I never knew Josh (or J-Rock as he is known around here) was clumsy. Ok, I kinda knew that. :) Here are our dossier's.

And that's it for this Friday. Come visit us this weekend. Here's the low down on what's happening here this Saturday:

11am Bloomin' Art

12 noon R&R Storytime

1pm Kid Karaoke

3:30pm Home Grown Science: Slime and Ooze!

Hope to see ya!

Oh and I almost for got my useless triva for this post. It'll be brief. Here goes: The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle. Now you know

Have a great weekend!