Full-time staff:
Thea Sophia Thompson, Ph.D., Executive Director
Thea joined the Ephraim Historical Foundation in 2011 and has served as Executive Director since 2012. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm, located in southwestern Wisconsin, which was settled by her Norwegian ancestors in the 1850s. A life-long lover of history, Thea started working as a tour guide at Little Norway (Blue Mounds, WI) when she was 16 years old and has been involved with museums ever since. Thea received her BA in anthropology and art history from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She received her Masters and Doctorate, both in archaeology, from the University of Cambridge.
Emily Irwin, Outreach Director and Curator
Emily is the Outreach Director and Curator at the Ephraim Historical Foundation and has been with the organization since 2015. She previously worked at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, the Wisconsin Historical Museum, and the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, WI. Her work focuses on sharing the community’s history through programs, exhibits, research, social media, and publications. She is also responsible for maintaining the EHF’s archives and collections. Emily received a BA in history with a museum studies minor from Beloit College and an M.A. in historical administration from Eastern Illinois University.
John M. Grochowski, Director of Operations
John joined the EHF in February 2016. He has a B.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an M.A. in Public History with a Museum Studies Graduate Certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Prior to joining the EHF he briefly served as the Director of the Lake Region Heritage Center in Devils Lake, ND. John spent four years with the Milwaukee Jewish Federation in several administrative roles, including community outreach, development, and Museum Intern. He also has twelve years of experience in property management. In his free time John enjoys watching sports, plays percussion at First Baptist Church of Sister Bay, and is on the Steering Committee for NexGen Door County.
Part-time staff:
Dale Eskra, Development Officer
Seasonal Museum Docents:
Karen Ekberg, Norma Hager, Cody Jensen, G.G. Paschke, and Judy Paulson