Penelope DiGennaro – President
Penelope DiGennaro was in the education field for 35 years as teacher and principal. She recently retired and has now focused her attention on art, specifically pen and ink drawings. Penelope draws every day and her work can be found in Gallery One. She also enjoys playing the piano, gardening, walking, traveling, viewing art, and spending time with friends and family.

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.

Kate Bortells - Secretary
Kate works for the City of Grants Pass at the Welcome Center on the corner of 6th & G Street. Her enthusiasm to make the City of Grants Pass a destination for tourist and future residents is a true passion.
Her family history in Oregon started in 1841 when her ancestors arrived in the Applegate Valley. Kate’s love for gardening has made her the perfect chairperson for Art on the Garden.

Ann Rusk - Treasurer
Ann has been in Grants Pass for over 33 years.  Once a banker Ann is currently the Operations Director for Wildlife Images.  In addition, she is a past President and has been the Treasurer of the Grants Pass Rotary Club for over 20 years.  Ann loves to travel and loves animals having 3 cats, a dog and 11 horses of her own in addition to all the furry critters at Wildlife Images.

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.

Pam Zaklan
Throughout Pam’s life, she appreciated, supported, and respected the Arts.

During her profession as an educator for 35 years, teaching art was a joy that children always enjoyed. As a teacher, she looked forward to inviting local Artists-in-Residence into my classroom to connect with students. Later as an elementary principal for 11 years, her school held yearly fundraisers allowing us to hire local Artist-in-Residence to work with all grade levels.

She moved to Grants Pass to retire 11 years ago and has been involved in the building of a farm consisting of six structures and three acres of fencing. We have installed a small orchard, vineyard, berry patches, large garden area, two small, forested areas and four acres of hay for a total of seven acres.

Her travels over the years have taken her to over sixty-four countries. She always makes sure to visit history museums, art museums and botanical gardens which is like a living museum.

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).

Alicia White - Administrative Specialist
Alicia grew up in San Diego, CA, where she worked in the administrative and customer service field for over 15 years. She moved to Grants Pass in 2018 with her partner and is excited to bring her knowledge and expertise to the Grants Pass Museum.
In San Diego, she was involved in the local theater, music, and art community. She is a trained violinist and singer and enjoys painting with a focus on portraiture. Along with her creative hobbies, she enjoys exploring the outdoors, camping, road trips, and cooking.

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.