Illinois Art Station Staff
Hannah Johnson, Executive Director (she/her)
hannah.johnson@illinoisartstation.org
Hannah Johnson joined Illinois Art Station in May 2022 by way of serving the previous eight years as an inclusive educator, community builder, and cultural advocate at the McLean County Museum of History in her hometown of Bloomington, Illinois. Hannah is a proud graduate of Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan universities, as well as of public school District 87. As a child of artists, a lifelong patron of the visual/performance arts, and an artistic temperament herself, Hannah knows the value of being exposed to, immersed in, and reared by the creative community. Hannah is a 2021 graduate of the Multicultural Leadership Program, a 2021 and 2022 YWCA Woman of Distinction nominee, and the co-recipient of numerous best practices awards for her community-centric and collaboration-driven museum work. Hannah serves as the primary facilitator of the Central Illinois Community Educators, is a former board member of the Vladimir-Canterbury Sister City Association of Bloomington-Normal, and currently serves on the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Marketing Committee.
Joey Hatch, Education Coordinator (she/her)
joey.hatch@illinoisartstation.org
Joey Hatch holds a BFA in Art Education and Minor in Classical Animation from the Academy of Art University, an MS in Art Education from Illinois State University, and is currently studying Curriculum and Instruction in Art Education from Indiana University’s Ed.D. program. Joey has been part of the fun at Illinois Art Station since 2019 as a graduate student before accepting the Education Coordinator position in 2020. She is passionate about sharing her love of learning, color, and art in all its forms with the young artists at IAS.
When not making art-tastic messes at Illinois Art Station, Joey spends her time with her family and nerding out to all things fantasy/sci-fi while artmaking at her home in the woods. As an art teacher, she’s not allowed to choose a favorite art form, but instead dabbles in a little bit of everything as time and inspiration strikes.
Jonathan Stein, Art Educator (he/him)
jonathan.stein@illinoisartstation.org
Jonathan Stein is an arts educator and a visual artist.
He joined the Illinois Art Station team as an arts educator in April of 2022. Before joining IAS, he gathered 19 years of teaching experience in Chicago, IL, working for both The Chicago Children’s Museum and Snow City Arts.
Illinois Art Station Board
Shari Buckellew, IAS Board President (she/her)
Shari has over 35 years of leadership experience in the non-profit and accounting industries. After a successful career in accounting she founded and led the award winning Children’s Discovery Museum from inception, through two expansions and ultimately through a reorganization as a Town of Normal entity. After leaving the museum in 2012 Shari consulted with start-up museums and was an adjunct professor in the College of Business at Illinois State University. She became the Executive Director of Business Operations at St. John’s Lutheran Church in 2014. She directs all business operations of the church including human resources, finance, property and ministry infrastructure. Shari has an accounting degree from Eastern Illinois University and an MBA from Illinois State University. In addition to the Illinois Art Station, Shari has served on the board of directors for numerous organizations, including: Past president of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Illinois, Past Treasurer of the Illinois Association of Museums and Midwest Association of Museums, Illinois State University Foundation, Eastern Illinois University Lumpkin School of Business Advisory Council, Advocate BroMenn Philanthropy Council and the Immanuel Bible Foundation. Shari strives to make a significant contribution as a leader with integrity, passion and a positive attitude in every situation.
Karen Stephens, IAS Board Vice President (she/her)
Karen Stephens is a graduate of Illinois State University with an undergraduate degree in psychology and an M.S. in education, specializing in early childhood education.
Karen has lived in McLean County since 1972 and began her professional career as a teacher in a preschool classroom in 1975. From 1980 to May 2013, she served as Director of Illinois State University’s Child Care Center and taught child development and early childhood program administration courses for ISU’s Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. In 2017, she was inducted into the Illinois State University College of Applied Science and Technology‘s Hall of Fame.
Karen served for two years as President of the Midwest Association for the Education of Young Children and served on accreditation committees for the National Association for the Education of Young Children. In addition to serving on the IAS board, Karen is a member of the advisory board of the Pratt Music Foundation, which raises scholarship funds to support classical music lessons reserved for talented children with financial need.
Karen has contributed to various educational and professional trade publications since 1985 to the present. For a decade, she published a weekly parenting column for Bloomington-Normal’s local newspaper, The Pantagraph. Her parenting columns were later published as “Parenting Exchange on CD” by Exchange Press.
She has delivered early childhood professional development trainings since 1975 at local, regional, national, and international venues. International presentations have included visits to New Zealand, Scotland, Denmark, Canada, Mexico, and Northern Ireland. Her keynotes and training topics range widely, from nurturing children’s creativity to supporting children’s resilience nature education.
Karen is author of the high school textbook Child Care Today: Becoming an Early Childhood Professional, and Block Adventures.
Cat Woods, IAS Board Treasurer (she/her)
Kristie Toohill, IAS Board Secretary (she/her)
Kristie Toohill has grown up in this community and earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Illinois State University. She began her career in facilities management as a student worker at ISU, progressing through several different positions during the last 25 years, where she now serves as the Director of Facilities Management. Kristie’s connection to academics, as well as the building trades and service-oriented teams on campus, provides an excellent platform to share the meaningful work and abundance of opportunities available. She prides herself in helping others and has served in several board positions such as APPA Membership Chair, MAPPA President, and APPA Regional Representatives Chair. She supports the Stay 4 Program and has been a member of the Baby Fold’s Festival of Trees Presentation Committee for almost ten years. As a member of the IAS Board, Kristie combines her passion for Illinois State University with providing students opportunities to explore the arts, see their potential, and reach their goals. She is honored to serve as the IAS Secretary.
Kimberly Babin, IAS Board (she/her)
Kimberly Babin is an Arts Advisor, Curator, Art Law & Art Market specialist, and founder of Art Legal, LLC. Her expertise and influence extend globally, serving galleries, artists, auction houses, and museums. With a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice – Art Law & Crime Specialization and additional studies with Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and the Institute of Art & Law, she navigates the complex landscape of the art industry. Kimberly’s captivating presentations on art law, curation, and the arts market are sought after by prestigious institutions and events including Fashion Week NYC, Christie’s Education, and icom International Law Conference.
In addition to her role at Art Legal, Kimberly holds prominent positions within the art community consulting as the Head of Americas for Artiste Culture and the Head of Artist Relations for Planet XR. She also contributes to the field as an author, writing an Art Law Journal for Azure Arts New York.
Scott Jordan, IAS Board (he/him)
Scott Jordan, Ph.D., is a cognitive psychologist who studies the neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy of cooperative behavior. With over 120 publications, he regularly contributes to Sterling’s Popular Culture Psychology series and her outlets to reveal connections between pop-culture narratives, psychology, and the realities of lived life. Examples include, Exploring the hidden kingdoms of assumption: Interview with Christopher Priest on Black Panther, culture, and the art of changing minds (Black Panther Psychology), and The welcoming Spiderverse: Finding your ‘self’ in a web of others(Pop Mythology). He has published a peer-reviewed, scientific song about the ‘self’ (It’s hard work being No One), (song), which received a positive review in Discover Magazine. He is co-organizer of ReggieCon, a virtual comic-con panel series that celebrates diversity and heritage months during the academic year. He is a co-member of the WGLT Psych Geeks podcast and has appeared on the bodyselfmind podcast. He also produces the Dark Loops Productions channel on YouTube, where he hosts discussions of lived-life, science, art, the humanities, and all things pop-culture. Finally, he loves to cosplay, and is extremely proud of his international comic-book collection.
LeAnne Moritz, IAS Board (she/her)
LeAnne Moritz is a human capital expert with over 30 years’ experience working in the heavy equipment manufacturing, aerospace, and defense industries. She is the owner and managing partner of Heartland HR Consulting Partners. With Central Illinois being home, she has lived and worked in multiple locations around the world, all while balancing family and career. LeAnne has served on various boards and councils in her profession and community. She is proud to be a member of the Illinois Art Station Board of Directors and support its mission.
Illinois Art Station Foundation Board
Laura Berk, IAS Founder & Foundation President (she/her)
leberk@ilstu.edu
Laura Berk is a distinguished professor of psychology emerita at Illinois State University, where she taught child development for over three decades. She has published widely in scientific journals, authored several best-selling higher education textbooks, and written chapters and books for parents and teachers of young children. Her research has been featured in Parents Magazine, Wondertime, Readers’ Digest, Psychology Today, and Scientific American.
Laura serves on the board of Artolution, an international organization that brings collaborative public art projects to children, youth, and families facing profound hardships around the globe. In her home state, she is on the board of the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and is president of the Illinois Art Station Foundation board, as well as serves as an ex-officio member of the IAS Board. Laura’s conviction that engaging with the visual arts can transform all aspects of children’s development and help bring diverse community groups together led her to become founding donor of Illinois Art Station.
Laura is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Division 7: Developmental Psychology, a McLean County YWCA Woman of Distinction, and a member of the Illinois State University College of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame.
Rick Lewis, IAS Foundation Vice President (he/him)
Rick Lewis served as Associate Dean of Students at Illinois State University and numerous positions in university administration at ISU for more than 30 years until his retirement in 2016.
Not one to be idle, he served as Director of Operations for the Normal Township Activity and Recreation Center from 2019-2022. He currently substitute teaches in the Unit 5 school district to stay current with young students.
Rick loves health and fitness and maintains an active lifestyle having traveled to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, safaris across the savannas of the Serengeti, trekked the plains of Nairobi, and the valleys of Bhutan. Future adventures include the Antarctica and learning to play the piano.
In addition to serving on the IAS Foundation Board, he is also a founding member of the Bloomington-Normal Achievement Foundation, a new organization whose mission is to serve the community promoting health and well-being through community engagement, education and scholarship with a focus on minority youth and senior citizens.
Rick is originally from North Carolina and is a trained artist and has exhibited across the state of Illinois and North Carolina.
Steve Lancaster, IAS Foundation (he/him)
Steve Lancaster is a lifelong resident of Normal, having attended local public schools as well as attending Illinois State University as an art major. In earlier days, Steve participated in local amateur art shows. However, being part of a family heavily involved in building trades and maintenance, Steve’s professional journey followed that path. Those experiences led him to Illinois State University in 1984; first employed as a building maintenance worker. Steve retired in 2019 as Associate Director of Facilities Management. While in that position, he had leadership roles that included campus-wide responsibilities over building and grounds maintenance, as well as janitorial services. In other campus capacities he oversaw project management, cost estimating, and construction for numerous building improvements. After 55 years in the industry, at the time of his retirement, the opportunity presented itself to join the Illinois Art Station Foundation Board, with the express duty of guiding the Foundation through the design and construction phases of the first permanent home for Illinois Art Station. He is excited to be a part of continuing care and maintenance of Illinois Art Station beyond the completion of the facility.
