Change doesn’t come easy to most people, and I’m no exception.
When thirty-three-year Woodson Art Museum veteran Marcia Theel told me that she would retire in July, I have to admit that I was in denial. Yes, denial. In fact, I initially didn’t open her official retirement letter in the hope that she’d “pull a Brett Favre,” change her mind, and stay on the team.
But no, Marcia had made up her mind. It was time.
Thirty-three years is almost an eternity in terms of a single employer, a tenure rarely achieved these days. Marcia joined the Museum in its infancy, as office manager. She retired as associate director and public relations coordinator during the Museum’s thirty-fifth anniversary. Quite a run. Marcia said it best during a farewell interview with Newsline 9, “The job grew up around me.” Indeed. I can’t think of an aspect of the Museum’s operation that Marcia hadn’t had her hand in during those thirty-three years.
On Friday, July 2, Marcia’s last official day, I happened to see her strolling down the sidewalk in the morning. There was a jauntiness in her step, a carefree kind of attitude that clearly signaled her comfort in moving on. We’re better and stronger thanks to her long-term service and dedication, and now we’re moving to a new phase, too.
Heather Burt joined the Museum as business manager in mid-June and Amy Beck joined as marketing and communications manager at the end of the month. 
Heather brings many years of accounting and human resources experience to the Museum as well as an interest in the arts. The opportunity to create a spreadsheet and analyze data excites Heather. I can hardly wait to tap into this expertise, as the thought of opening an Excel spreadsheet makes me perspire.
Amy’s training and experience as a journalist – especially meeting 
tight deadlines – make her ideally suited to tackle the multiple daily writing challenges she’ll face. She says she loves to write and that’s a good thing here! In addition, Amy recently returned to school to hone her web-development and new media skills, which already have been put to work through Facebook posts and online ads.
We say farewell to Marcia and welcome to Heather and Amy. Endings and beginnings.
