Rehoboth Beach Museum announces new director

After a nationwide search, the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society and Museum found its new director right down the avenue.

A resident of Rehoboth Beach, Heidi Nasstrom Evans impressed the board selection committee. “[She has] knowledge of the museum community, not just of Rehoboth Beach, but the historical organizations that are all around us,” said J. David Mann III, board president. “We appreciate her work and educational background, her personality and ability to articulate, which are all important because she is the new face of our museum.”

Board members want Evans to help them expand their level of community engagement. “We want more promotion of our activities, to expand our horizons in terms of fundraising, to institute a planned giving program and increase our endowment,” said Mann.

Evans spent 25 years at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., before moving full time to Rehoboth Beach. Since then, her professional focus has been on local history.

“This is the most exciting time of my career. In D.C., I was an expert on a narrow moment in time. Now I never know what topic I will be working on. These days, I see myself more as a storyteller rather than an expert. The people I work with bring me topics, and I enjoy figuring out interesting ways to realize them in 3-D museum spaces,” said Evans. “I dreamed of running the Rehoboth Beach Museum, but never thought the position would open up because former director and friend Nancy Alexander did such a great job. We planned to collaborate on an exhibit I was hoping would be about integration.”

Evans looks forward to working with the Rehoboth Beach Museum staff on creative exhibits and programming. She is a governor’s appointee on the Delaware Humanities board of directors, sits on the City of Lewes Public Arts Committee and is a board member for the Delaware Museum Association. Her recent projects include exhibitions at Delaware Tech’s Sen. John J. and Elsie Williams House Museum and Conference Center, the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover, the Fort Miles Museum in Cape Henlopen State Park and the Milton Historical Society.

The Rehoboth Beach Museum is dedicated to preserving and showcasing for the public the history, culture, architecture and unique character of Rehoboth Beach. It is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 511 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Admission is by donation. The museum is handicap accessible.

To learn more, go to rehobothbeachmuseum.org, email info@rehobothbeachmuseum.org or call 302-227-7310.