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Illinois State Museum System Board of Directors
The Illinois State Museum Board of Directors is a group of eleven dedicated Illinois citizens appointed by the Governor who advise the Director of the Department of Natural Resources in all matters pertaining to maintenance, extension, and usefulness of the Illinois State Museum; make recommendations concerning the appointment of a new museum director whenever a vacancy occurs in that position; and review the budget of the Illinois State Museum and make recommendations with reference thereto to the Governor through the Director of the Department. The members are appointed for two-year terms based on their qualifications and interests related to the fields of museum activity.
Officers
Jonah Rice, Chair
Rice has been a career educator and speaker for 35 years. He has taught courses in communication studies for decades, including film studies and rhetorical analysis. The latter half of his career has been serving as the president of Southeastern Illinois College, leading it to multiple national Aspen nominations for excellence. He has served as the Chair of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents and as a Member on the Illinois Board of Higher Education Strategic Planning Committee. He won the Illinois Community College Trustees Association's coveted Advocacy Award in 2019. Aside from leading a successful community college in Illinois, Rice has also taught for a variety of universities and has served as a peer reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission in Chicago, Illinois. Rice has published in regional and national publications as well as pursued his interests in consulting and the arts in his later years. He serves on the Ella Elizabeth Hise Regional Art Museum as well as the Southeastern Illinois College Foundation Board. Jonah Rice received an Associate of Arts degree from Southeastern Illinois College, Bachelor of Science from Bradley University, Masters of Arts from Central Michigan University, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Regent University. He was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2024.
Sara Phalen, Vice Chair
Sara Phalen brings over fifteen years of museum coordination and curator experience. She currently serves as the Managing President of Phalen Consulting, and Director and Curator at Warrenville Historical Museum and Art Museum. She also serves as Director, Registrar and Education Coordinator with the City of West Chicago Museum. Phalen volunteers her museum expertise with the Kane DuPage Regional Museum Association, People Made Visible, Illinois Association of Museums, and the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage. Phalen received two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Illinois, a Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University, and a Master of Arts from North Park University. She was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2024.
Tamira Brennan, Secretary
Dr. Tamira Brennan is Section Head of Curation at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has been doing archaeology since 1999, primarily in research-based Cultural Resource Management settings ranging from fieldwork to administration.
This work includes a seven-year-long stretch as a field supervisor, lead researcher, and ceramic analyst on the Illinois State Archaeological Survey’s investigations at East St. Louis, one of the largest late pre-Columbian sites in the Eastern Woodlands. She has also recently been active in excavations and research on early historic periods in Illinois and Missouri. Brennan earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and both her Master of Arts and Doctorate of Philosophy from Southern Illinois University. She was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2020.
Board Members
Leverne Backstrom
Leverne Backstrom has served on the Board of Directors of the Katherine Dunham Center for Arts and Humanities since 2005 and is currently President Pro Tempore. Leverne is a retired 9th grade Language Arts teacher at East St. Louis Senior High School and a former organizer for the Illinois Federation of Teachers. She is member of the Olivette Park Neighborhood Association, East St. Louis Planning Commission and Trinity United Methodist Church. She earned her Bachelor of Science from Kansas Wesleyan University. She was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2020.
John Barker
John Barker began his career over thirty years ago as a self-employed real estate developer specializing in residential and commercial projects in several cities across Illinois, and he is currently a Co-Owner of Barker Real Estate. He also serves as the Secretary and Director for Middletown State Bank. An active member of the community, Barker is a Member of the Vachel Lindsay Association and has been involved with Downtown Springfield, Inc and the Sangamon Club. Barker received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Redlands. He was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2023.
Wanza Davis
Wanza Davis is a retired educator and administrator having most recently served in School District 186 in Springfield. As an active member of her community, Davis volunteers with Hospital Sisters Mission and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Davis is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and LINKS, Inc. Davis received her Associate and Bachelor's degrees from Southern Illinois University and her Master's Degree from Sangamon State University. She was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2024.
Mike Murphy
With over thirty years of managerial experience, Murphy currently serves as the President and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce where he advocates on behalf of 1,300 members at all levels of government. Prior to joining the Chamber of Commerce, Murphy represented the 99th District where he sat on the Insurance, State Government Administration, and Museums, Arts, and Cultural Enhancement Committees. He is an active member in his community and has been recognized as the Illinois Farm Bureau Friend of Agriculture and received the Chamber Chairman's Award. Murphy received a bachelor's degree in political science from Eastern Illinois University. He was appointed tothe Illinois State Museum Board in 2024.
Vacant, to be appointed
Vacant, to be appointed
Ashish Sharma
Dr. Sharma is the Climate and Urban Sustainability Lead at the Discovery Partners Institute of the University of Illinois System. He holds a joint appointment as a Climate Scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. He is the Director of the NSF-UKRI joint-funded Global Center on Clean Energy and Equitable Transportation Solutions (CLEETS), and he was recognized in Crain's Chicago Business' 40 Under 40 class of 2023. He conducts collaborative research spanning science, engineering, social sciences, and policy, focusing on climate science and environmental justice. Notably, Dr. Sharma has co-authored an assessment of climate change impacts on the Great Lakes region (2019), a special climate assessment for Illinois (2021), and the first climate action plan for the Chicago metro region (2021). He serves as a member of the US EPA Science Advisory Board for the EJ Screen review panel, has testified on urban heat island effects to the City of Chicago Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy (2021), and briefed the U.S. Senate Climate Taskforce, U.S. House of Representatives, and congressional staff on Capitol Hill about climate change impacts in the Great Lakes Region (2019). Dr. Sharma received a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jaypee University of Information Technology, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Aerospace Engineering from Arizona State University. He was appointed to serve on the Illinois State Museum Board in 2024.