Kit Newkirk returning to Putnam Museum as director

Kit Newkirk

In a unanimous vote Monday, the board of directors of the Putnam County Museum selected Katherine "Kit" Newkirk to be its next executive director.

Newkirk, 63, was involved with the museum from its beginnings, having helped to convene and conduct the original organizational meetings. She served on the board of directors and in a variety of volunteer positions at the museum until moving from Greencastle in 2008.

"Many board members and volunteers were familiar with the caliber of Kit's work and her past connection and dedication to the museum," Saraellen Peters, president of the Museum Board of Directors, said. "So we all felt very fortunate when she applied for the executive director position and agreed to come back."

Added Gigi Jennewein, who chaired of the museum's hiring committee, "We received applications from a number of well qualified candidates, in- and out of state, but we agreed that none offered as strong a package of organizational and managerial skills along with knowledge of the community and the museum."

Newkirk said she is thrilled with the opportunity.

"There's no place on Earth exactly like Putnam County," Newkirk said. "I've been lucky enough to travel around the world and work with many organizations in business, education and public service, but I've seen few organizations to match the quality of the PCM relative to its resources.

"The museum celebrates and preserves the uniqueness of this place. From my perspective, it is a rare organization that has such a clear and important vision along with such dedicated and warmly collaborative people."

Newkirk will assume full-time responsibilities on May 12 after she completes the spring semester at IUPUI in Indianapolis where she teaches English as a Second Language (ESL) and first-year seminars for international students.

Meanwhile, she will work Fridays and Saturdays at the museum beginning Feb. 28. She intends to relocate from Indianapolis to Putnam County in order to be close to the community.

Newkirk describes herself as "the founding mother" of The Game Preserve Inc. Established in 1980, The Game Preserve is a group of small stores selling board games and puzzles, with locations in Indianapolis, Greenwood, Bloomington and Lafayette (and sometimes in Greencastle). She left The Game Preserve after 25 years to pursue a master's degree in journalism at IU Bloomington. From there she went to China to teach journalism and ESL, and stayed overseas for three and a half years.

Her history of involvement in Putnam County includes volunteering in the public schools while her children, Adam and Elizabeth "Betsy" Lorton, were students; Greencastle Civic League; Friends of the Putnam County Public Library; and the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau. She has also volunteered with the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 1987 and with the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society where she is currently co-editor of the society's quarterly journal.

Newkirk succeeds Tanis Monday who joined the museum staff as assistant director in 2008 and became executive director a year later. Monday continues to serve the community in her new capacity as executive director of Beyond Homeless Inc. (BHI).

"As a relative newcomer," Newkirk said, "it's not my job to tell Putnam County what it has been or should be. I see my job as helping Putnam County embrace, appreciate and share its uniqueness."