Discovery Park Marks Employee Milestones
Oct. 8, 2021 – On Oct. 7, Discovery Park of America recognized employees who have celebrated five and ten-year anniversaries with the museum and heritage park. Two members of the staff, Polly Brasher, senior director of education, and Jennifer Wildes, senior director of exhibits and collections, celebrated ten years with Discovery Park. While the museum did not open to the public until Nov. 1, 2013, it was under construction for several years and included the efforts of many volunteers. Both Brasher and Wildes were among the very first employees officially on the payroll.
In his opening comments, Scott Williams, the organization’s president and CEO, shared a long list of positive comments from museum visitors and acknowledged they are a result of those in the room who shared their time and talents to make Discovery Park such an incredible, award-winning museum and attraction. Williams added, “Tonight, on behalf of the Discovery Park board, the Kirkland family and the more than two million guests who have come through those doors, I get to say, ‘Thank you.’ Thank you for the incredible job each and every one of you does every single day as we implement our important mission, and thank you all for making this such a joyful place to get to work.”
As 10-year honorees, Brasher and Wildes received a solid-brass, early Victorian-style telescope. All 5-year honorees received a solid-brass compass in a hand-made wooden box that featured an inlayed compass rose. Williams noted, “a compass rose is sometimes called a rose of the winds and is used to indicate direction on a map or nautical chart. I hope each time you look at it, you are reminded of all the things you do that inspire our guests to leave here and head in directions they never dreamed of before visiting Discovery Park.”
Both the telescope and the compass were engraved with the honoree’s name and an acknowledgment of gratitude for their years of leading discovery.
Current Discovery Park employees celebrating a ten-year anniversary are Polly Brasher and Jennifer Wildes. Employees celebrating a five-year anniversary are Judy Anding, Randy Anding, Chris Armstrong, David Blincoe, Mary Nita Bondurant, Hunter Brown, Christy Buchanan, Chambry Callicott, Art Chivers, Jessica Dunivant, David Eastep, Marie Fee, Robert Finley, Diane Forrest, Lisa Glass, John Hall, Gloria Harris, David Heathcott, Glenn Heatherly, Karl Johnson, Lauren Jones, Allison Laws, Jerome Leath, Dianne McCoy, Jeanne McMillen, Ashton Milan, Russell Orr, Tom Pyron, Mike Ramsey, Zachary M. Rea, Linda Rose, De Rushing, Lisa Sears, Samantha Simbeck, James Simpson, Nita Simpson, Jamie Suiter, Jamie Thomson, Tammy Ursery, Kayla Uzzle, Jenny Gillihan, Hugh Wade, Jade Walsh, John Watkins, Sheridan Wells and Al Wright.
