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Meet the Board
Tabitha Nowark, Co-chair
Business owner and Project XV Museum Founder, Tabitha Nowark has a passion for preserving history and creating safe, inclusive places where everyone belongs. Her philanthropy work has led her to purchase and donate the historic barber shop of David Strother where the museum is housed. She is a lover of history and stories untold, of bringing community together to build a more equitable world.
Nikita Richards, Vice President
United States Navy Veteran, Nikita Richards takes great pride in serving both her community and
the state of Illinois. For most of her life she’s served as a social equity advocate, labored in the
works of human services and led grassroots efforts to improve the conditions of traditionally
marginalized communities and fighting for greater access to the voting polls.
As the City of Bloomington’s Community Relations Manager and a Public Relations Professional
who has been featured by Huffington Post, Business Insider, MSN and Morning Joe, her portfolio
includes honorably serving our country in the United States Navy; helping to establish central
Illinois’ first Administrative Court located in Bloomington, IL; where cases are heard to address
public health & safety issues with property abatement, property code enforcement, city code
ordinance violations and municipal revenue;
Serving as a Board of Director for NPR Illinois;
Serving on U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s Service Academy Board, where she works to select the
future military leaders of our great country;
Earning the 2020 Outstanding Service in Leadership award by Illinois State Treasurer Michael
Frerichs;
Previously managing the City of Bloomington’s Fire & Police Commission; and
Earning the Governor’s appointment to his transition team – Serving Illinois’ Heroes. In this role she
created recommendations focused on providing our veterans with the services and resources
necessary to have a good quality of life at any stage of their lives;
Being appointed to the Illinois Council on Women and Girls where she works alongside its Chair, Lt.
Governor Stratton, on behalf of women and girls across Illinois to create policy that promotes
equity and opportunity while improving outcomes and positively impacting lives. In this role she
serves as Chair of Leadership & Inclusion and sits on the Academic and Economic Opportunity
committee. History was made with the formation of this council, as it is the first of its kind in Illinois
and one of only two in the United States.
Ms. Richards was elected to the Illinois State University Alumni Board of Directors, received the
2019 YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and in 2018 earning the Outstanding Woman in
Communication Award by the Association of Women in Communication while making history as the
first African American woman to earn the highest award bestowed by the organization. In April of
2020, she was elected as the first Black woman to Chair the Democratic Party of McLean County.
As a lifelong advocate for youth and creating safe spaces for our young people, she served on the
McLean County Foster Care Coalition, as a Family Court Liaison where she fought for unification of
families within the McLean County court system, serves as an active NAACP member, a mentor for
the Boys & Girls Club; and provides economic development opportunities and leads initiatives to
address food deserts as a board member of the West Bloomington Revitalization Project.
Nikita Richards was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She is the proud graduate of the
Illinois State University where she received both her Master of Arts in communication, Bachelor of
2
2
Arts in politics & government and ABA accredited in Legal Studies certification. She is the proud
mother Kaylin Richards, an amazing daughter and a young leader in her own right. And when she
has a moment of free time, you can find her educating communities about the importance voter
education and restorative justice, binging on documentaries and fellowshipping with her Mount
Pisgah church family and friends.
the state of Illinois. For most of her life she’s served as a social equity advocate, labored in the
works of human services and led grassroots efforts to improve the conditions of traditionally
marginalized communities and fighting for greater access to the voting polls.
As the City of Bloomington’s Community Relations Manager and a Public Relations Professional
who has been featured by Huffington Post, Business Insider, MSN and Morning Joe, her portfolio
includes honorably serving our country in the United States Navy; helping to establish central
Illinois’ first Administrative Court located in Bloomington, IL; where cases are heard to address
public health & safety issues with property abatement, property code enforcement, city code
ordinance violations and municipal revenue;
Serving as a Board of Director for NPR Illinois;
Serving on U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth’s Service Academy Board, where she works to select the
future military leaders of our great country;
Earning the 2020 Outstanding Service in Leadership award by Illinois State Treasurer Michael
Frerichs;
Previously managing the City of Bloomington’s Fire & Police Commission; and
Earning the Governor’s appointment to his transition team – Serving Illinois’ Heroes. In this role she
created recommendations focused on providing our veterans with the services and resources
necessary to have a good quality of life at any stage of their lives;
Being appointed to the Illinois Council on Women and Girls where she works alongside its Chair, Lt.
Governor Stratton, on behalf of women and girls across Illinois to create policy that promotes
equity and opportunity while improving outcomes and positively impacting lives. In this role she
serves as Chair of Leadership & Inclusion and sits on the Academic and Economic Opportunity
committee. History was made with the formation of this council, as it is the first of its kind in Illinois
and one of only two in the United States.
Ms. Richards was elected to the Illinois State University Alumni Board of Directors, received the
2019 YWCA Woman of Distinction Award, and in 2018 earning the Outstanding Woman in
Communication Award by the Association of Women in Communication while making history as the
first African American woman to earn the highest award bestowed by the organization. In April of
2020, she was elected as the first Black woman to Chair the Democratic Party of McLean County.
As a lifelong advocate for youth and creating safe spaces for our young people, she served on the
McLean County Foster Care Coalition, as a Family Court Liaison where she fought for unification of
families within the McLean County court system, serves as an active NAACP member, a mentor for
the Boys & Girls Club; and provides economic development opportunities and leads initiatives to
address food deserts as a board member of the West Bloomington Revitalization Project.
Nikita Richards was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. She is the proud graduate of the
Illinois State University where she received both her Master of Arts in communication, Bachelor of
2
2
Arts in politics & government and ABA accredited in Legal Studies certification. She is the proud
mother Kaylin Richards, an amazing daughter and a young leader in her own right. And when she
has a moment of free time, you can find her educating communities about the importance voter
education and restorative justice, binging on documentaries and fellowshipping with her Mount
Pisgah church family and friends.
Michael Melick, Co-chair
Michael teaches History at EPG High School in El Paso. He enjoys connecting students to stories of local interest as well as empowering students through the stories of others. Michael wants to see the museum as a place full of teachable moments that inspire and empower guests to become civically engaged and work to improve their communities.
Renée Thompson,
Board Member
Renée is employed as an Auto Claim Section Manager with State Farm Insurance. She
has worked for State Farm over thirty years and served in several leadership roles in
various parts of the country. She has lived in the Bloomington-Normal community since
2012.
Passionate about advocacy, social action and community service, Renée is a member
of the Bloomington-Normal Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Incorporated where she serves as chair the for Political Awareness Social Action
Committee and a collegiate advisor. As an active member of the Central Illinois Chapter
of The Links, Incorporated, she held the position of chapter president and currently
serves as chair of the chapter’s programming.
Renée is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA with a BA in Marketing
and she holds several professional insurance designations.
has worked for State Farm over thirty years and served in several leadership roles in
various parts of the country. She has lived in the Bloomington-Normal community since
2012.
Passionate about advocacy, social action and community service, Renée is a member
of the Bloomington-Normal Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,
Incorporated where she serves as chair the for Political Awareness Social Action
Committee and a collegiate advisor. As an active member of the Central Illinois Chapter
of The Links, Incorporated, she held the position of chapter president and currently
serves as chair of the chapter’s programming.
Renée is a graduate of Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA with a BA in Marketing
and she holds several professional insurance designations.
Brandi Montalbano,
Project Manager
Brandi is a local business owner and entrepreneur with many years of experience in construction and interior design. Her passion for community, projects, and equal rights comes together as the perfect combination for her Project Manager position on the board for Project XV Museum.
Dr. Jeffrey Pegram
Dr. Pegram serves as an Illinois Extension Educator at Unity Community Center in Normal, IL. He is an artist, minister, athlete, and educator whose interdisciplinary interests include the moral lives of children, a pedagogy of PLAY, and the relationship between pain, memory and wisdom. He grew up on Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation land presently called Durham, North Carolina and grew up even more living abroad in the Middle East, Asia and South America.
Jim Miller, Board Member
Jim has been a resident of El Paso for forty-three years. Prior to that he and his family resided in
Vermont IL where he was an Elementary Teacher for five years and Elementary Principal for 2 years. He and his family moved to El Paso as he was selected to be principal of Jefferson Park School where he
served for 8 years. He was then selected to be Superintendent of Schools for the next 17 years. He
helped with the consolidation effort to create El Paso-Gridley School District #11, serving as the first superintendent of the new district.
He retired after that first year in 2005. He worked for a California software company for two
years. Jim then went to Eureka College for the next seven years, serving as Director of Teacher
Education and Education Division Chair. He retired from Eureka College in 2013. He has been a member of the El Paso Kiwanis Club for 35 years.
Jim and his wife, Alicia, have 3 grown children, Tammy, Derek and Ben. They have also been
blessed with 10 grandchildren. Since retirement Jim enjoys gardening, occasionally golf, traveling and stamp collecting. He and his wife are interested in local history and bringing attention to El Paso. He
sees Project XV as an excellent venue to do this.
Casey Sepich,
Board Member
Dr. Casey Sepich is an Audiologist at OSF Medical Center in Bloomington. She serves the community through volunteer work focusing on education and civic engagement.
Born and raised an Illinois native Sepich moved to El Paso with her husband and two children in 2017.
Having overcome adversity, Casey is passionate about building equitable communities and creating equal opportunities for all.
Born and raised an Illinois native Sepich moved to El Paso with her husband and two children in 2017.
Having overcome adversity, Casey is passionate about building equitable communities and creating equal opportunities for all.
Linda Foster, Board Member
Ms. Linda Foster completely embodies the spirit of justice, equality and truth–as did the beloved Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She often working late into the evenings and during the weekends and holidays to remain a voice for the voiceless and to assist the disenfranchised and the ostracized. She believes that a justice anywhere is an injustice everywhere; As such, she creates coalitions to advance the goodness and fairness in the Bloomington-Normal community. Her peaceful approach towards righting wrongs is most admirable and is reminiscent of Dr. King’ss philosophy toward equality.
Barb Lancaster,
Researcher
Barb Micetic Lancaster grew up in the Chicago area and moved to El Paso as a teenager, graduating in 1988. When she is not at her day job as a receptionist at Gridley Dental Office, her lifelong passion for history has led her to partner with the city of Bloomington in protecting the historic Trotter Fountain, serve as Secretary at the Woodford County Historical Society, and as Historical Researcher for Project XV.
Intern Liyah Williams
Liyah Williams is a Political Science student at Illinois State University, with a focus on Law and Political Theory. Liyah has also done extensive research on Women in Politics and Minority Rights. Raised in Dallas, Texas, Liyah is not unfamiliar with discrimination and seeing people repressed. She is proud of the adversity she’s overcome due to her race, gender, and having a disabled mother. Liyah believes it important to advocate for others, especially when they can’t advocate for themselves.
Liyah finds many ways to help others including being an Ambassador for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in order to bring more awareness to Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA), a medical condition that affects people with a brain injury or certain neurologic conditions. She is also an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Women in Politics, and finds much joy in assisting her fellow students succeed.
Liyah finds many ways to help others including being an Ambassador for Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in order to bring more awareness to Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA), a medical condition that affects people with a brain injury or certain neurologic conditions. She is also an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Women in Politics, and finds much joy in assisting her fellow students succeed.
Intern Sam Clement
Sam Clement is a history graduate student at Illinois State University, with a particular interest in queer historical topics. Sam is an intern doing research for the museum's exhibit on historical voting issues.
Intern Hannah Hicks
Hello, I am Hannah Hicks, I am interning for Project XV Museum, working on an exhibit on Elizabeth Gaines-Strother. I am working on re-creating a dress she is seen wearing in a photograph and I was able to come across this amazing opportunity from a conversation with Tabitha at a career fair. I am a detail oriented person so I have been diving into a lot of research on both Elizabeth and the history of fashion during this time to create an accurate representation of the dress.
Ryan Johnson,
Board Consultant
Ryan is a consultant for the museum who utilizes corporate connections for fundraising and visibility purposes, provides feedback on how to make the museum accessible to people of all abilities, researches both content and design, and collaborates with the board to continue to gain corporate sponsorship.
Emily McCusker,
Board Consultant
Emily McCusker
Originally from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, Emily McCusker holds a B.A. in History from Lake Forest College. Her studies focused on museum studies, sociology, and social justice. She interned with Chicago History Museum and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and currently works at the McLean County Museum of History as the Director of Youth & Family Education. Emily also likes reading, live music, travel, and her family.
Originally from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, Emily McCusker holds a B.A. in History from Lake Forest College. Her studies focused on museum studies, sociology, and social justice. She interned with Chicago History Museum and the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, and currently works at the McLean County Museum of History as the Director of Youth & Family Education. Emily also likes reading, live music, travel, and her family.
Value Statements
We are responsible, reliable and respectful public stewards.
We promote honesty, integrity and transparency in all our interactions.
We foster an environment of collaboration, diversity and inclusion.
We are personally responsible and committed to factual and accurate data and authentic experiences produced with the highest ethical standards.
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