ABOUT US: Meet our Staff | Board of Directors & Documents | Careers & Volunteer
MUSEUM ALLIANCE OF RAPID CITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Travis Dewes
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT TRAVIS
Travis, a 4th generation South Dakotan, was raised in Rapid City and received his Bachelor of Arts in History from South Dakota State University. He joined the MARC Board in 2021 and is currently the chair of the Governance Committee in which he is able to spearhead efforts to bolster the Board’s efforts in a strategic direction by providing guidance and expertise. Away from the MARC Board, Travis is the Cultural Programs Manager at The Indian Museum of North America® at Crazy Horse Memorial®. As a current museum professional, Travis is able to implement his love of all the humanities into his daily life.
Bill Evans
CITY LIAISON | CONTACT BILL
Bill Evans, now serving his second term as an Alderman for Ward 2, is serves the Journey as Liaison for the Rapid City Common Council. A lifelong resident of Rapid City, Mr. Evans was Orchestra Coordinator for the Rapid City Area Schools for 40 years, teaching at Stevens High School, and with a degree in Architecture, brings a knowledge of the design arts to the position.
Eileen Fleishacker
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT EILEEN
Eileen was born in Pierre, SD and moved to Rapid City in 6 th grade. She graduated from USD, Vermillion, with a degree in History, and earned her MA from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls after which she taught at UNI for 3 years. Returning to Rapid City in 1981, Eileen was Director of Volunteer Services at Rapid City Regional Hospital for 28 years. After retirement, she was a tour guide for Affordable Adventures Tours and enjoyed bringing visitors to The Journey. Community involvement has been an important part of Eileen’s life since high school; and she has sat on the board of several local and state organizations. A charter member of The Journey, she joined the board in 2019. She enjoys 2 adult children and 5 grandchildren.
Carrie Gerlach
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT CARRIE
Carrie Gerlach, owner and founder of Black Hills Adventure Tours has always had a love for nature. Carrie grew up in British Columbia, an area with topography similar to the Black Hills area. At 10 years old she and her family relocated to the Black Hills where they spent much of their time hiking, camping, fishing, and traveling all around the nation and the world.
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Carrie graduated from Black Hills State University in 1997 with a degree in Business and Tourism. She worked in hotel sales for several years before deciding to go to work for herself. In 2005 Carrie took a leap of faith and started Black Hills Adventure Tours. She has now been in the tour business for 19 years.
Her passion for meeting new people, outdoor activity and showing off the beautiful Black Hills has led to a successful business with nearly 20 employees!
Stacie Granum
BOARD SECRETARY | CONTACT STACIE
Stacie Granum is a seasoned professional with over 20 years of experience in results-driven marketing and advertising initiatives and driving impactful strategic initiatives across diverse industries, including tourism, government, education, healthcare, retail, and science and technology. Her extensive background includes leadership roles in strategic planning, destination stewardship, and both traditional and digital marketing. She excels in identifying growth opportunities, optimizing organizational structures, and navigating complex challenges. Her ability to motivate and inspire teams, make data-driven decisions, solve problems, and build strong relationships with stakeholders highlights her leadership ability. She is dedicated to community service, actively participating on various boards and committees, reflecting her commitment to the well-being of the community she serves.
Barry Gravatt
BOARD CHAIR | CONTACT BARRY
Barry Gravatt grew up on a ranch in Western South Dakota where his great grandfather settled after trailing cattle into Dakota Territory in 1878. Barry received his degree in Political Science from University of South Dakota and returned to work in Rapid City. He has spent the last 40 years in the Rapid City area working for Community Support Providers and Mental Health Service Providers. For the last ten years he has worked for Black Hills Special Services Cooperative as a Community Work Incentives Coordinator. He has always been passionate about the educational role of museums and the need to utilize open and honest conversations about our shared history in order to have a harmonious and inclusive community.
Micah Lande
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT MICAH
Micah Lande, PhD is an Assistant Professor and E.R. Stensaas Chair for Engineering Education in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology. Dr. Lande directs the Holistic Engineering Lab & Observatory. He teaches human-centered engineering design, design thinking, and design innovation courses. Dr. Lande researches how technical and non-technical people learn and apply design thinking and making processes to their work. He is interested in the intersection of designerly epistemic identities and vocational pathways. Dr. Lande received his B.S. in Engineering (Product Design), M.A. in Education (Learning, Design and Technology) and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering (Design Education) from Stanford University.
Ritchie Nordstrom
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT RITCHIE
Ritchie was born and raised near Madison, South Dakota on a dairy farm. He graduated from Madison-Orland High School prior to enlisting in the U.S. Navy serving from 1967-1971. Ritchie was stationed in Japan and Vietnam near Da Nang and Quang Tri with the Navy Seabees Amphibious Construction Battalion -1 (ACB-1) West Pac Battalion and later assisted with a crew that picked up Apollo 14 from the South Pacific.
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Ritchie began his professional career in the private sector from 1972 to 1980. He went on to work for 30 years for the City of Rapid City before retiring on January 7, 2011, as an Industrial Waste Technician for the Water Reclamation Facility.
Ritchie has served on the Rapid City Common Council since 2011 - 2023 representing Ward 2.
Ritchie’s other community leadership roles include serving on the Water Environment Federation, a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, and American Legion Post 22. Ritchie is also a past dance instructor for the Career Learning Center of Rapid City. Currently, Ritchie is a member of Thriverr a Statewide group that is involved with smaller community economic development, and the Journey Museum and Learning Center Museum Alliance of Rapid City (MARC) Board.
Torin Peterson
BOARD TREASURER | CONTACT TORIN
Torin, born and raised in Rapid City, earned a Master of Accountancy at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and is a licensed CPA. His professional path led him to service to the State of South Dakota, gaining valuable experience at Bureau of Finance and Management in Pierre. Seeking new challenges, Torin transitioned to Brookings, where he assumed the role of Controller at HME Companies. Torin looks forward to making a positive impact toward the cultural enrichment of the citizens of South Dakota.
Mark Slocum
BOARD MEMBER | CONTACT MARK
Born in Rapid City, SD, Mark Slocum has served as the Executive Director of the Black Hills Historical Society since 2017. With a degree in Art from Black Hills State University, his career includes over 15 years at the Journey Museum. Mark is deeply passionate about the history and cultures of the Black Hills, focusing his work on preserving and sharing our area’s rich heritage to the community and museum visitors.
Jessica Smith
BOARD VICE CHAIR | CONTACT JESSICA
In a recent effort to start helping at a local level, Jessica changed her career path to more broadly impact her community and focus on her family. She currently serves on two other boards and when she isn’t volunteering, she focuses her creative energy on her handmade jewelry business started in 2012. She's interested in fostering life-long learners, whether in our public schools or in museum settings and finding more ways our society can slow down and (re)connect with each other and the Black Hills.
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Previously, Jessica was a graphic designer for an innovation consulting company, Biomimicry 3.8, that combined three of her passions—design, nature, and sustainability. She graduated from the University of Montana School of Forestry with a degree in Recreation Management and minors in nature-based tourism and nonprofit administration. She’s also completed the Montana Master Naturalist program and was a member of the National Association for Interpretation.
MUSEUM ALLIANCE OF RAPID CITY BOARD OF EMERITUS BOARD
Thank you to the following people who have served on the board of directors with distinction and excellence.
Ruth Brennan (Inducted 2018)
Johnny Brockelsby (Inducted 2018)
Dr. Ernest Schabauer (Inducted 2018)
Jim Shaw (Inducted 2018)
Fred Whiting (Inducted 2018)
Gary Brown (Inducted 2019)
Tim Raben (Inducted 2021)
Michelle Thompson (Inducted 2021)
Jim Green (Inducted 2021)
Donna Fisher (Inducted 2021)
2024
MARC Board Minutes: April 25
MARC Board Minutes: March Meeting Cancelled
MARC Board Minutes: February 22
MARC Board Minutes: January 25
Strategic Plan: Coming soon
2023
MARC Board Minutes: December 21
MARC Board Minutes: November 21
MARC Board Minutes: October 19
MARC Board Minutes: September 21
MARC Board Minutes: August 24
MARC Board Minutes: July 20
MARC Board Minutes: June 22
MARC Board Minutes: May 25
MARC Board Minutes: April 20
MARC Board Minutes: January 26