One of the things that COVID-19 brought us was the inability to fill vacant positions at the museum, but we are working hard on changing that. Recently, two museum employees, Anna Conrad and LeAnne Hilliard, assumed new positions.
Conrad and her husband moved to Athens when he got hired as a forestry professor at the University of Georgia. She joined the museum staff as director William Underwood Eiland’s research assistant in May 2016 and has worn many hats since then. In addition to her initial research role, she’s worked with the museum’s Board of Advisors, handled gift acknowledgments, overseen stewardship, helped with fundraising and, most recently, served as the museum’s senior accountant.
“Everyone who works here is fascinating in their own way, and I really enjoy that there’s such a diversity of opinions about anything you can imagine,” Conrad said. “I love being able to go down to the galleries anytime I want and do my favorite thing, which is look at art.”
Conrad has just moved back to the development office from the business office, serving as the museum’s new grant coordinator. She oversees all grant applications from start to finish, ensuring they comply with any regulations and requirements. The job involves a lot of reading, as a single application can surpass 50 pages, but luckily Conrad is an avid reader by nature. She commits to rereading the seven-part “Harry Potter” series at least once a year.
“I know what’s in the books,” she said. “For me, it’s really getting to the nostalgia of experiencing the story again.”
Conrad never planned for a career in nonprofit fundraising (her background is in art history), but she’s happy she fell into it. Her adaptability has allowed her to broaden her skill-set and grow professionally.
“For me, the best way to be as well-rounded as I can for any future career moves I might make is to have in-depth knowledge in as many areas as I can manage,” she said.
Part of Conrad’s transition to her new role has involved training the new senior accountant, LeAnne Hilliard, who is also an existing staff member taking on a new role. Hilliard joined the museum staff in 2017 as a security officer, eventually becoming a supervisor. Her new role is quite different from her last, but already being familiar with the building and the staff has helped her hit the ground running.
“I just think the community here is really great,” she said. “It’s a very connected community. I think everyone in the building has each other’s backs in a way you don’t see in a lot of places.”
As the senior accountant, she is responsible for processing payment requests and keeping accounts balanced. The math involved is no sweat for Hilliard, who has played Dungeons and Dragons since high school.
“I do math at work and I do math in Dungeons and Dragons, and that’s where the math happens,” she said.
In addition to working full time, Hilliard is earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UGA. She hopes to one day combine her studies of art therapy and criminal justice with her experience at the museum to work in rehabilitation.
Hilliard enjoys having her own office now, but she does miss the security team and the camaraderie of sharing a workspace. The good news is she can visit them on her lunch break.
“I loved that job, but I think I’m gonna love this one, too,” Hilliard said.
