Ashleigh Reed has been hired as first executive director for Main Street’s Hammer Museum.
Reed will be responsible for day-to-day operations, grant-writing, maintaining grounds and supervising interns. She’ll work 25 hours per week during summer months.
Museum board president C.J. Jones said bringing on a paid executive and finding a new building rose to the top of the group’s goals during strategic planning sessions in 2014. Museum founder Dave Pahl has served as volunteer director for about 13 years, Jones said.
Reed’s pay will come from admission revenues and sales at the museum store. “Those are our main sources of income,” Jones said. The museum expects to have two interns this summer.
Reed is a five-year resident who has worked for the ferry system and Olerud’s. She holds a degree in therapeutic recreation from the University of Southern Mississippi.