Rachael McAlister’s first full year as director of the White River Valley Museum is going to be a busy one.

Among the many projects in her hopper for 2019, a new classroom at the museum and wrapping up numerous restoration projects at the Auburn Pioneer Cemetery.

In addition, McAlister will shape the vision and secure funding for future museum programs, collections work, exhibitions and community initiatives, all with the help and support of the museum’s board of directors, the City of Auburn, her colleagues in Parks. Arts and Recreation and her team of museum staff and volunteers.

“Next year, we aim to keep it slow and steady, as we work on plans for the future, but stay tuned. We have a highly energized staff, brimming with new ideas and fresh takes on history and community engagement. I think there will be a lot of new, exciting news coming out of the Museum in the next few years,” McAlister said.

McAlister takes the helm from longtime director Patricia Cosgrove, who retired in late October after 25 years in on the job.

“I’m so happy to be the new museum director. My predecessor, Patricia Cosgrove, did an amazing job building the museum and farm, and I am honored to take the helm of these two incredible institutions,” McAlister said.

McAlister’s background is in art and museums. She has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from Belmont University and a masters in Museum Studies from The Johns Hopkins University.

A native of Nashville, Tenn., McAlister worked in special events and public programming at the Nashville Zoo and the Grasmere Historic Home before moving west to join the team at the White River Valley Museum in May 2011.

Although McAlister wore many hats in her seven years as curator of education for WRVM, her primary responsibility was to design and develop public programming like adult programs and lectures, museum and farm field trip programs, family programming and big fundraising events.

WRVM’s former education assistant, Ashley Rust, moved into McAlister’s old job on Dec. 17. She has been with the museum for four years and, McAlister said, “pairs a wealth of programming and public history experience with an infectious enthusiasm.”

McAlister offered a few details folks may not know about her.

“I think most folks know I’m a great lover of the arts, but many do not know that I actually paint and draw. One of my strangest artistic endeavors was sculpting an eight foot-tall abominable snowman from compressed Styrofoam for a Halloween event at the Nashville Zoo,” McAlister said.