Board of Trustees
The Sparks Heritage Foundation and Museum’s Board of Trustees volunteer their time to our organization for the benefit of our Sparks community. We thank them and each of our organization’s wonderful volunteers for helping us to fulfill our mission preserving local history!
Want to help? Join our board! For more information, please email: info@sparksmuseum.org.
Larry Champagne, President
Trustee Champagne is a native of northern Nevada and a graduate of Sparks High School. He later studied dentistry and served as President of the Nevada State Board of Dentistry. He is active in the Sparks Rotary Club and serves as President of the Sparks Museum.
Eric Moody, Vice President
Trustee Moody has lived in the Reno-Sparks area since 1968. He has spent most of his professional career as a curator and administrator for the Nevada Historical Society, as a college teacher, and as an editor. In 2011, Moody joined the board of the Sparks Museum.
Frank Lawrence, Treasurer
As a Sparks resident since 1990 and as the owner of a local business for 29 years, Trustee Lawrence has a particular interest in preserving the history of our city’s businesses and families. He has served as both trustee and treasurer of the Sparks Museum since 2008.
Donald Abbott
Trustee Abbott is a native of Sparks and is currently serving our city on the Sparks City Council. He became a trustee of the Sparks Museum to support projects that celebrate Sparks’ unique heritage and to encourage more people to get involved in keeping our history alive.
Scott Carey
Lyle Haven
Christine Johnson
Trustee Johnson is a professor of Museum Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, and served as executive director of the Sparks Museum from 2020-24. Now, she works to evolve museum exhibits and events and oversees projects that increase inclusion, visibility, and access for the community.
Joan Kohl
Trustee Kohl worked at the Los Angeles County Hospital for thirty years as a staff nurse in labor and delivery. She served later as an educator and, in 2019, retired as the Dean of Nursing at the L.A. County College of Nursing before moving to Sparks, the city she now loves to call home.
Skylar Mayhew
Trustee Mayhew is a proud resident of Sparks who joined the board of the Sparks Museum to celebrate the people, places, and stories that shaped her community. She is grateful to be part of the effort to preserve Sparks’ historic and cultural heritage.
Mimi Fujii-Strickler
Trustee Fujii-Strickler is a native Nevadan who has lived in Sparks for over three decades. She loves the Sparks community and believes the ability to share the culture and history with residents is very meaningful. As a trustee, she feels she can help ensure the Sparks Museum thrives.
Museum Management
Karalea Clough, Manager
Karalea Clough has managed the Sparks Heritage Foundation and Museum since January 2025. She has brought a wealth of knowledge and skill to our organization, having had two decades of experience with libraries and museums and having previously worked 17 years for the state of Nevada. She is a lifetime member of the Sparks Museum.
