Board

Peggy Lott, President

Jeff Olson, Vice President

Jennifer Dahl, Secretary

Ken Glasheen, Treasurer

Julia Bresnahan

Steve Sauter

Pam Lecy

Lyle Lamont

Staff

Elizabeth Meissner

Executive Director
emeissner [at] thehardy.org

After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Elizabeth, a Door County native, moved back to the Door Peninsula to assume a new role as curator at the Fairfield Art Center in Sturgeon Bay (December 2004). While employed at the Fairfield, Meissner continued her volunteer role that began with an internship at the Hardy in the summer of 2004, during which she served on numerous committees. One of the highlights of her career include curating "Chagall, Moore and Matulay: Three Influential Modernists," an exhibition featuring 47 original artworks produced by famed artist Marc Chagall and two of his contemporaries: Henry Moore and Laszlo Matulay. While employed at the Fairfield, she curated more than a dozen exhibits by local, regional, and national artists.

In May of 2007, Meissner accepted the role of Exhibits & Community Relations Director with the Hardy, a position she held until June 2008. She served as interim director from July to October 2008 and assumed the role of Executive Director in November 2008.

Aside from her formal training in Museum Studies and Arts Management, Elizabeth has also had training in studio art and is an artist. While her current output is extremely limited, she is the past recipient of the David L. Damkoehler Art Scholarship (2003) and Contemporary Craft Award (2004) at UW Green Bay. Her artwork has been exhibited at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center (Sheboygan, WI), the Lawton Gallery (Green Bay, WI), the Miller Art Museum (Sturgeon Bay, WI), and the Hardy Gallery.

Additionally, Meissner was a guest speaker for the 2006 Arts Management Summit held on the UW Green Bay campus; was an honor student in the 2004 Academic Excellence Symposium for research and presentation of an arts management strategic plan; studied abroad for an arts intensive program in London, England (2004); and is a past guest speaker for Arts Management courses at UW Green Bay. She is a past presenter for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College's Learning in Retirement program (2006), past juror for the Door County Art League's 20th anniversary exhibit (2006), past presenter for the Door/Kewaunee Business and Education Partnership's Career Day and currently serves as the President of the Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance. When not trying to keep up with her 1-year-old chocolate lab Choxie, she enjoys biking and swimming, traveling, baking, piano and spending time with her family, especially her husband John.

Melissa Ripp

Marketing & Community Relations Director
mripp [at] thehardy.org

Melissa was born and raised in Sturgeon Bay, WI, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison after graduating from high school. She graduated with a double degree in Communication Arts (emphasis in Radio, Television, and Film Production), and English (emphasis in Creative Writing). Upon graduating, she returned to Door County to take a job with American Folklore Theatre in Fish Creek, eventually becoming the organization's Marketing Director.

In December 2006 she accepted the position of Marketing Director at the Ephraim Historical Foundation and worked there until May 2009, when she left to fulfill her dream of working as an editor for Door County's independently-owned and operated newspaper, the Peninsula Pulse. It was also at this time that she began working for the Hardy in a part-time capacity, helping Elizabeth with the marketing and public relations for the organization. She worked part-time as the Marketing & Community Relations Director until October 2009, when a Wisconsin Arts Board grant made it possible for her to work with the Hardy full-time.

In addition to her duties at the Hardy, Melissa is very involved in many aspects of the Door County community. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Ephraim Business Council, still finds time to write freelance articles for the Peninsula Pulse and Door County Living magazine, and operates her own writing and public relations firm, Peapod Public Relations and Marketing. She has a special interest in helping artists and galleries market themselves in effective and inexpensive ways. She also is on the waitstaff of T. Ashwell's Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant located in Ellison Bay, WI.

Melissa has a soft spot in her heart for films of the French New Wave, road trips, the Pacific Northwest, indie rock concerts, and art and design of all kinds.