Read about the project team:
Project Director:
M.A. in Museum Studies
Sybil Tubbs originally came to Heart Mountain in June 2022 for a one-year service position through the Americorps VISTA program. In June 2023, she joined our full-time staff as Education Manager. Over the past year, Sybil has helped us advance several initiatives including our Children’s Day Festival, state-wide school field trips, and virtual museum tours. As Education Manager, she is developing new educational materials and taking the lead on our national and regional teacher workshops (including the NEH Educator Workshops pictured here). This fall she presented at the annual conferences of the Mountain-Plains Museum Association and the Montana Federation of Public Employees. Sybil holds an MA in Museum Studies from the State University of New York in Oneanta and a BA in Public History from Athens State University.
Master Teacher:
M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction
Mr. Emborg is a Nationally Board Certified master history teacher; he is the great-grandson of three sets of Montana homesteaders and has long incorporated lessons of Heart Mountain in courses ranging from 8th grade history through 12th AP U.S. government and politics. He is a Mock Trial and five-time Wyoming State Champion We the People sponsor. He will be leading teachers through applying lessons in the classroom and beyond. He is the main contact for content.
HMWF Executive Director:
M.A. in Medical Anthropology
Ms. Newlin took the helm of Heart Mountain in May of 2022. Prior to that, she was an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Sociology at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. A fourth-generation Wyomingite and fourth-generation Japanese American, her heritage involves intertwined stories of imprisonment at Heart Mountain, Tule Lake, and Manzanar; racially-segregated military service; and hardships suffered by Wyoming railroaders who were fired because of their Japanese ancestry. She actively educates about the contemporary relevance of Japanese American incarceration, and has delivered presentations to legal and lay audiences around the country.
HMWF Membership & Development Manager:
M.A. in Political Science
Michael (Mickey) McDaniel joined Heart Mountain’s team in July as Membership & Development Manager. Prior to this role, he worked with our staff to get Heart Mountain content into Wyoming schools via the University of Wyoming’s Malcolm Wallop Civic Engagement Program. In addition to managing our databases and assisting with grant tracking, Mickey is helping us develop new member-focused initiatives like our Family Research program and Nikkei Mapping project—both of which will be rolled out in 2024. Originally from Casper, Wyoming, Mickey earned his MA in Political Science from the University of Wyoming and is currently working on his EdD. His master’s thesis examined state justifications for paternalistic policy, and his doctoral dissertation focuses on administrative responses to hate speech in higher education. Mickey’s combination of technical skills, people skills, and out-of-the-box thinking make him a natural fit for this role at Heart Mountain.
HMWF Director of Operations:
Logan Christie joined the Heart Mountain team in February 2023 as Director of Operations, and he has already established himself as a key member of our leadership team as we manage increasingly complex projects through the Interpretive Center, the Mineta-Simpson Institute, and the wider historic site. Logan is a third-generation Wyomingite, life-long Cody boy, and University of Wyoming graduate with connections all across the state and a stint of work in New York City. For the past 13 years he has worked in the juvenile justice arena, serving most recently as the Youth Services Coordinator for Park County. He comes to us with a background in criminal justice administration and IT. Logan chairs the Wyoming State Advisory Council on Juvenile Justice, which advises the state on a variety of topics including alternatives to incarceration for youth. Fun facts about Logan: he is the son of award-winning landscape artist Reid Christie, he has an encyclopedic memory for sports (all types) and music (all genres), and he has a 9 handicap on the golf course.
The Heart Mountain, Wyoming and the Japanese American Incarceration 2024 Workshop has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.