Kerrie Nichols (she/her)
Executive Director
Contact: director@wornallmajors.org
Kerrie Nichols joined the Museums as the Executive Director in July 2014, bringing with her over 20 years of experience in public and nonprofit leadership. Her CV includes fundraising for capital campaigns; program and event development, management, and evaluation; professional leadership of staff, community volunteers, and non-profit boards; marketing and public relations; and event facility management.
As a native to Kansas City, her passion for preserving the heritage of her hometown shines at the House Museums. Kerrie is poised to use her background and love of history and horticulture (yes, horticulture) to ensure a long and prosperous future for the Wornall/Majors House Museums.
She is currently using her unique skills to raise funds for the Learning Landscape project at the John Wornall House Museum and ongoing support for innovative contemporary programming.
In recent years Kerrie has focused on growing operational efforts with great success. For example, Kerrie has worked with a flexible and knowledgeable staff to increase quality and inclusive civil war programming in our community. Field trip attendance alone rose 32% over the past two years. Additionally, barn rental revenue for the Alexander Majors barn has increased 64% in four years. The barn is a critical revenue source supporting the House Museums.
As a graduate of Missouri State University majoring in horticultural science and minoring in art Kerrie delights in the opportunity to “grow” the organizations largest fundraiser, a biennial garden tour of area resident gardens. She also completed a professional internship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. and served as the Marketing and Development Director for Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, MD for over a decade.
Sarah Bader-King (she/her)
Curator & Director of Programs
Contact: programs@wornallmajors.org
Sarah Bader-King joined the Museums in November 2014, bringing a diverse background in non-profit management, education, and journalism to her role as Director of Public Programs. Sarah is passionate about making history relatable and relevant through trendsetting programming, such as the Victorians Uncovered history happy hour series and Civil War and Go West! Field Days. She has also curated Museum exhibits such as Lives in Fabric: Textiles of the Wornall/Majors House Museums and A Lifetime of Change: The Wornall Family Beyond the Civil War.
Sarah has focused on serving diverse audiences by providing multiple points of entry to the Museums at all learning levels. One success has been the introduction of a self-guided tour at the Majors House, which allows visitors to explore the historic landmark at their own pace. Since 2015, public tour admission at the Majors House rose 149%.
As a student at William Jewell College, Sarah gained a true appreciation and love for the Kansas City area and its history. She holds a BA in Communications and English. Previous positions include Project and Media Manager of the International Relations Council, Program Assistant at the Truman Scholarship Foundation, EFL Instructor in Sacheon, South Korea, and reporter for the Great Bend Tribune.
Sarah Goebel (she/her)
Volunteer & K12 Education Coordinator
Contact: administrator@wornallmajors.org
A graduate of the University of Kansas’ Museum Studies Master’ Program, Sarah Goebel has a passion for communities in museums. Working with volunteers and visitors at the John Wornall House is a career dream. She hopes to create positive experiences for the people of Kansas City to engage with their history. In the past, she has interned at the Kansas Museum of History and curated an exhibit for the Max Kade Center at KU.
Caden Gird (he/him)
Weekend Manager
Contact: tours@wornallmajors.org
Caden Gird has been affiliated with Wornall/Majors since 2012, when he became a volunteer. A lover of history from an early age, Caden has devoted much time to the learning and teaching of history, publishing Kimball: Fortis Non Ferox, and running a successful media platform discussing British history. He hopes to inspire other members of his generation to treasure, protect, and enjoy what history has to teach us. Caden plans to attend university with a major in history.
Annie
Chief Snuggle Officer
Annie was named after infamous Kansas City madam Annie Chambers. Originally a feral cat, Annie was determined to be happier as a “cat with a job” and adopted by Wornall/Majors to keep the Wornall Carriage House free of pests. However, she has quickly become accustomed to the good life and spends most of her time begging for pets and treats.
Tom
Executive Pest Control Officer
Tom, aka “Boss Tom”, was named after political boss Tom Pendergast. Like his sister Annie, Tom was originally a feral cat determined to need a “job” to stay happy. Tom does excellent work controlling pests and pretends that he doesn’t like it when Wornall/Majors staff pets his beautiful fluffy tail. A ruthless manager, he also enjoys yelling at his humans when they aren’t paying enough attention to his important work.
