MSA Leadership
Susan Tudor, President
Susan Tudor is the Manager of Visitor Services and Store Buyer for the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens in Jacksonville, Florida. She has been a member of the Museum Store Association since her start in non-profit retail in 1998. Susan’s retail training and background prior to museums was with Federated Department Stores (Bloomingdale’s Inc.). Susan has chaired multiple national committees including the MSA Advocacy Committee responsible for the inaugural launch of the global initiative Museum Store Sunday®, winner of the 2018 ICON HONORS for Branding. She has been a member of the Board Finance Committee, the Governance Committee, the Marketing and Communications Committee, the Education Advisory Group, and the Conference Committee. Susan is also past president of the MSA Florida Chapter.
Blue Anderson, First Vice President
Blue Anderson is the Director of Visitor Services for the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, OR. Blue has been a member of MSA since 2000 and is a past President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter. She is also a member of the Board Governance Committee and MSA’s Education Advisory Group (EAG). Blue’s passion is education and her outstanding commitment to advancing educational programs and opportunities will help MSA achieve its strategic goals in the future.
Karen McNeely, Second Vice President
Karen McNeely is the Director of Retail Operations at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, WI. Karen’s retail career started with Carson Pirie Scott, a Midwest department store. She held positions in both store management and the buying office during her 19 year tenure. In 2008, she started with the Milwaukee Art Museum. Karen credits her MSA membership with helping her make a smooth transition to the nonprofit world.
Cathy Nagle-Ervin, Secretary
Cathy Nagle-Ervin is the Great Lakes Regional Manager with Eastern National. A position she has held for the past 17 years and has been responsible for all the hiring, training, product development, merchandising, and inventory control for retail stores in seven states. A member of MSA since 2003, Cathy has been a consistent presenter at our conferences with many workshops related to recruitment and training of young staff and has discovered her passion for all things digital!
Chacho Herman, Treasurer
Chacho Herman is Associate Director of Earned Income at the San Diego Museum of Art, where he started his museum career. Chacho is responsible for all earned income arms of the museum, which includes two stores, the museum’s restaurant, and admissions. He has over 30 years of cultural commerce experience. His previous board service included Secretary of the board 2010-2011, and Member at Large, 2005-2006. He has been on numerous MSA task forces and committees. Along with helping to ensure the financial stability of MSA he feels his role is to continue to build the MSA brand, increase membership, and expand learning opportunities. When not working, he can be found playing fetch on Coronado Beach with his dog, BB, planning trips around which museum he’ll visit, and exploring the deserts and beaches of Baja.
Colleen Higginbotham, Director at Large
Colleen Higginbotham is the Deputy Director for Visitor Experience at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA. Her passion is creating great individual experiences for every visitor, from the most experienced museum goer, who may be difficult to impress, to traditionally underserved audiences, who may need reassurance that they are welcome. Colleen is a past President of the Mid Atlantic Chapter and a member of MSA’s Education Advisory Group (EAG).
Patricia Sampson, Director at Large
Patricia Sampson is the Manager of Retail Shops & Visual Merchandising at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia. Patricia began her career in profit retail in her home state of New York. She wore many different hats in her young career from assistant buyer, to buyer, and even fashion show coordinator. All of these experiences have been instrumental to her success in her current position at The High. Patricia is a dedicated and passionate member of MSA. She has previously served on MSA chapter and national committees, on the regional board of the South Atlantic Chapter, and now serves a second term on the MSA Board of Directors. Lastly, Patricia is an avid sports fan, volleyball being her favorite. She enjoys sewing, cooking and spending quality time with family and friends.
Kristen Daniels, Vendor Member Advisor
Kristen Daniels, President of Kamibashi String Dolls, is the founding inspiration of our Buyer-Vendor Forum (BVF), a forum that allows buyers and vendors to talk openly about merchandise and doing business together. More specifically focused on the buying and selling aspects of our association, the BVF is a great place for vendors to ask each other advice about business, and also for buyers and vendors to have discussions about working relations that are unique to the museum industry. On Fridays, BVF vendors and museums that wholesale can pitch products according to a schedule of weekly themes, allowing all members to learn more about vendors and their products. A member of MSA since 2005, Kristen is a regular contributor to BVF discussions by posting topics, answering questions, and being a champion of the MSA.
Geoffrey Carroll, Vendor Member Advisor
Geoffrey Carroll, president of Original Source, has been active in the MSA for 20 years. Geoff’s involvement with museums began when he moved to Asia in 1994 and opened his own office. At a time when most products from Asia were controlled by trading companies, Geoff and his partners pioneered a direct grass-roots approach with artisans in China, Thailand and Vietnam. His permanent presence in Asia has resulted in a business model that provides more benefits for the artisans and better products for museums. Geoff is passionate about teaching and often visits museums to provide education sessions on Asian culture.
