Preserve WV AmeriCorps Alumni

As a Preserve WV AmeriCorps member, you'll learn invaluable skills that will help you in any type of employment.  You'll gain experience in soft and hard skills and will be immersed in projects that teach you project management, time management, communication, and how to make deals, as well as museum services, research, event planning, and hands-on historic preservation skills.

Potential employers recognize the value of AmeriCorps service. Though your service is not considered employment, the experience you develop through service shows your ability to handle tough tasks, your commitment to seeing things through, and your dedication to working on challenging issues.  In fact, hundreds of employers have committed to recruiting alumni like you through the Employers of National Service initiative (visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/employers for more information and a list of participating employers).  

To learn how Preserve WV AmeriCorps service led to the program’s alumni entering graduate school or starting careers, all in related fields, see below.

2017-2018 Service Year

Ian Gray spent two service terms with Preserve WV, serving at Old Hemlock Foundation (2015-2016) and Cockayne Farmstead (2017-2018). After the completion of his second term, he became the Program Assistant at the Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum.

Lauren Kelly served at the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission for two consecutive service terms (2016-2017 and 2017-2018).  Following the conclusion of her second term, she will be enrolled in the master’s program in Historic Preservation at University of Texas, Austin.

Kiersten White spent one service term at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall then hired her as its Box Office Manager/Education Associate/Archive Coordinator. 

Rebekah Valentine served at the Waldomore (Clarksburg/Harrison County Public Library) for one term.  She will be enrolled in the master's program in Library and Information Science at University of Maryland, College Park, following the conclusion of her service year.  

Sam Richardson served at WVU Libraries' West Virginia & Regional History Center for one term. After completing his term, he became a Transportation Planner for the Charleston metropolitan area's Regional Intergovernmental Council.

Sydney Stapleton served for two consecutive terms (2016-2017 & 2017-2018) at the Harrison County WV Historical Society.  Upon completion of her second term, she will be enrolled in SUNY's Cooperstown Graduate Program for a master's degree in Museum Studies.

2016-2017 Service Year

Ahleah Boise served at the Lewisburg Historic Landmarks Commission.  Upon conclusion of her service term, she became a Historian at West Virginia Division of Highways.

Andrew Linderman served at Pricketts Fort State Park and enrolled in the master’s program in Public History at West Virginia University following his service year.

Christina Rieth served at Wheeling Heritage and enrolled in the master’s program in Historic Preservation at University of Kentucky following her service year.

Edward Pride served at Waldomore (Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library) and became the Administrative Coordinator at Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library after completing two terms of AmeriCorps service with the site.

Hailey Horn served at Clio Foundation, and following her service year, she became the Marketing and Communications Fellow at Service Year Alliance.
 
Jennifer Wilt served at Main Street Fairmont (2016-2017) and at Doddridge County Economic Development Authority (2014-2015 and 2015-2016).  After finishing her term in 2017, she became the Associate Director at Doddridge County Economic Development Authority (EDA).

Kayla Piechowiak served one term at the Historic Shepherdstown Commission and Museum.  Upon finishing her service year, she enrolled in the master’s program in Historical Studies (in its Public History Track) at University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Patrick Corcoran served at the Eastern Regional Coal Archives for one year and became the Reference Librarian at Concord University Library after his service year ended.

Samantha Hartford served at WVU Jackson’s Mill, and she became the Historian and Miller at Cooper Gristmill after her service year.

Sarah Rogers served at Hinton Historic Landmarks Commission, and she became the Certified Local Government (CLG) Coordinator at the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) after her service year ended.

Hailey Horn at a civic service project in Crum, Wayne county, West Virginia.

Edward Pride outside the historic Waldomore.

2015-2016 Service Year

​Crystal Wimer served at Harrison County Historical Society and became the Executive Director at Harrison County Historical Society.  She says that she “would not be where I am today if I hadn't joined the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program. After graduating from West Virginia University in 2008, I struggled for years to find a job in public history. I worked as a substitute teacher for Mineral County Schools, and I was contemplating a career change to education prior to my service in 2014. I saw the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program as my best opportunity to reboot my public history career. After joining, I served two years with the Harrison County Historical Society, and I have never regretted it. I gained so much confidence because I was finally able to use my collections managements skills and be a resource for smaller museums in the local area. After my two terms were up, the board and volunteers of the HCHS did not want me to leave because of all of the help I've given them, and truthfully, I didn't want to leave either. Long story short: funds were raised by board members and volunteers to create an executive director position, and I was asked to fill that role in September 2016. I've been grateful for this opportunity to continue my work with the HCHS and do great things for local history.”

Kelli Shapiro served at Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and became the Program Associate at Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.  In August 27, 2018, she published Historic Movie Theatres of West Virginia, an “Images of America” book for Arcadia Publishing.

Michael Langmyer served at the Historic Shepherdstown Commission & Museum and is enrolled in the master’s in Historic Preservation program at University of Kentucky.

Nikki Lewis served at Main Street Morgantown (2014-2015 and 2016-2017), and she became the Executive Director of Main Street Fairmont.  Nikki states that her time with Preserve WV “certainly helped me get to where I am now. I gained so much experience in serving with Main Street Morgantown that helped in attaining the job at Main Street Fairmont. During my time as an AmeriCorps [member], I was able to travel, meet new people, get involved with projects and organization I knew nothing about. And it increased my ‘real life’ knowledge about nonprofits, grants, historic preservation, and community service. Before my AmeriCorps service, I would have never dreamed of being where I am now. I have a wonderful job I love going to.”
 
Nikki’s favorite project and success story was the completion of a public arts project – one that, even though small, took all of her two years in service (and as well as years before she started). She explains, “I pushed for public art in the downtown [Morgantown], and we created a project that would artistically cover the ‘ugly’ utility boxes on the side of the road throughout the city. The City of Morgantown owned three of these boxes. We held a contest to display local art images on them through vinyl wraps and worked with a local business to have them installed. It took the organization years to get to that point in the project and took me about 1.5 years to get permission from the city to complete it. I was so very excited the day Stick Co. showed up to install them. I stood there with the worker in the blazing sun, just to watch it completed.”

Rob Aitcheson served at the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and became the Operations Manager at New Hampshire Boat Museum.

2014-2015 Service Year

 Caitlin Hucik served at Cockayne Farmstead (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) and became Executive Director at Cockayne Farmstead.   She then became an Archives Technician at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Joy Williams served at Wheeling National Heritage Area (2013-2014 and 2014-2015).  Following her two terms, she became Project Reviews Manager at the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Joy says that her service at the Wheeling National Heritage Area “introduced me to a number of individuals and organizations throughout the state that play a vital role in preserving cultural resources. This opportunity allowed me to strengthen my passion for historic architecture, be involved in various efforts to revitalize and support my surrounding community, and be involved in a variety of preservation efforts from education and advocacy to hands-on preservation.”

Nicole Marrocco served at the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, and then became an AmeriCorps VISTA member at the WV Community Development Hub.  Following her VISTA term, she became the Abandoned Properties Coalition Coordinator at the Hub.  After being instrumental in an advocacy campaign to increase the West Virginia State Historic Tax Credit, Nicole enrolled in the master’s program in City and Regional Planning at Rutgers University.  She became Community Strategies Fellow at New Jersey Community Capital and in 2017, was awarded the American Express Aspire Award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation at its National Preservation Awards. (See https://forum.savingplaces.org/blogs/rebecca-bice/2017/11/14/the-2017-national-preservation-awards)

Robert Wolfe served one term at Main Street Fairmont and became Interpretive Ranger at Hampton Plantation State Historic Site.

Tiffany Rakotz served at New River Gorge Regional Development Authority.  Following her service year, she enrolled in, and graduated from, the master’s in Historic Preservation program at Eastern Michigan University. Tiffany states that her service year “directly influenced my decision to apply for grad school at Eastern Michigan University. Without the experience provided by [the Preserve WV program operated by] PAWV, I would probably never have ended up in this field. It helped me discover a career that I am passionate about and [that] brings a great amount of satisfaction.” She also says, “My favorite experience during my time as an AmeriCorps [member] in West Virginia involved working with a local nonprofit to clear and secure a historic building that had been neglected and used as a site for illegal dumping. I was able to work with a number of organizations to collaborate the cleanup, from Lowe’s to the local pizza joint. I received an amazing amount of support and positive reinforcement from the people involved as well as the volunteers who came together to help, and I learned a lot.”

Tiffany Rakotz (left) and Nicole Marrocco (right) standing outside the Helen Apartment during a clean-up day.

Joy Williams showing her enthusiasm for West Virginia history.

AmeriCorps members re-set a fallen headstone at a Doddridge County cemetery.

2013-2014 Service Year

Cailin Howe served at the Craik-Patton House in CHarleston, and following her service year, she became Exhibits Coordinator at West Virginia State Museum.

Carlee Dulaney served two terms at Adaland Mansion in Philippi.  After her service years ended, she became Event Coordinator at Adaland Mansion.
 
Eliza Newland served one term at the Old Hemlock Foundation in Preston County.  She became Collections and Program Manager at West Virginia University’s Royce J. and Carolyn B. Watts Museum.  Eliza said about her time as a Preserve WV AmeriCorps “My AmeriCorps service helped me gain practical, hands-on experience that I would not have gained otherwise. I gained experience managing volunteers, interacting with others in a workplace, creating interpretive tours and volunteer guidebooks, starting and managing an oral history program, and educating children in an alternative setting. As I have moved into my current position at the Watts Museum, I have used those experiences to help me continue to grow and learn in the field of Public History. Going from school to having a job is a hard transition, and my year of service helped prepare me by giving me context for various situations. I understood that it was going to be challenging; settling into a new position and a new supervisor, commuting and getting to work, and simply being there every day.” 

Jake Dougherty served at Wheeling National Heritage Area.  Following his service year, he became Director of Reinvent Wheeling (Main Street program).  Shortly after, he became Executive Director of Wheeling Heritage (formerly Wheeling National Heritage Area).  In 2018, Jake was named to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of “40 Under 40: People Saving Places.” (See https://savingplaces.org/40-under-40-people).

Malina Suity served one term at Main Street Fairmont.  She became the Junior Architectural Historian at Skelly & Loy and then became the Marketing and Communications Lead at Lauren Levant Interior.

Rodney Bohner served one term with the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia.  After completing his service year, Rodney enrolled in the master’s program in Historic Preservation at University of Oregon.  He then became the Assistant Planner for the City of Eugene, Oregon.

Samantha Rose served at Main Street Morgantown for one term, and then became the Media and Advertising Manager at Monongalia Arts Center (an adaptive reuse of the 1913 Morgantown post office, and a member of PAWV’s West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail).  Following her service year, she became the Director of Events at Navigators Global. She has since held multiple positions at Navigators Global, and she is currently Vice President of Communications.