Executive Director & Curator

Contact: sbaderking@wornallmajors.org

Pronouns: She/Her

Sarah Bader-King joined the Museums in November 2014, bringing a diverse background in non-profit management, education, and journalism to her role. Prior to her role as Executive Director, Sarah served as Director of Programs at the museums for nine years. Sarah is passionate about making history relatable and relevant through trendsetting programming, such as the Victorians Uncovered history happy hour series and Civil War and Go West! Field Days. She has also curated Museum exhibits such as Lives in Fabric: Textiles of the Wornall/Majors House Museums and A Lifetime of Change: The Wornall Family Beyond the Civil War and has a particular interest in researching untold stories of enslavement on the Missouri/Kansas border.

Sarah has focused on serving diverse audiences by providing multiple points of entry to the Museums at all learning levels. One success has been the introduction of a self-guided tour at the Majors House, which allows visitors to explore the historic landmark at their own pace. Since 2015, public tour admission at the Majors House rose 149%.

As a student at William Jewell College, Sarah gained a true appreciation and love for the Kansas City area and its history. She holds a BA in Communications. Previous positions include Project and Media Manager at the International Relations Council, Program Assistant at the Truman Scholarship Foundation, EFL Instructor in Sacheon, South Korea, and reporter for the Great Bend Tribune.

Director of Programming

sgoebel@wornallmajors.org

Pronouns: She/Her

A graduate of the University of Kansas’ Museum Studies Master’s Program, Sarah Goebel has a passion for communities in museums. Working with volunteers and visitors at the John Wornall House is a career dream. She hopes to create positive experiences for the people of Kansas City to engage with their history. In the past, she has interned at the Kansas Museum of History and curated an exhibit for the Max Kade Center at KU.

Director of Community Engagement

Contact: jberry@wornallmajors.org

Pronouns: She/Her

In her time at Swarthmore College, Jackie studied museums extensively, particularly how diverse audiences relate to and participate in museums. She looks forward to engaging with visitors to make their experiences valuable and educational.

Jackie is excited to join the Wornall/Majors team. She is passionate about their mission to share and deepen the unique history of Kansas City and the Wornall and Majors Houses.

Wornall House Weekend Manager

Pronouns: She/Her

Emma Kitteringham graduated from Creighton University with a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy and a minor in classic and near Eastern civilizations in 2022. Her personal mission is to cultivate an appreciation of local history within the Kansas City community by tackling historically overlooked themes and questions, such as slavery, racism, sexism, and women/gender studies. As weekend manager, Emma strives to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming environment for museum staff, visitors, and renters. Through her role as the collections intern, Emma aims to expand the Wornall/Majors’ reach through creative, detailed, and approachable collections management.

Public Speaker and Docent

Tom likes telling a good story and the Wornall/Majors House Museums offer him plenty of material. Tom grew up in Kansas City and graduated from the University of Kansas after coursework at Regis College in Denver and the Universidad de Valencia, Spain. Assignments in the Peace Corps in El Salvador and teaching positions in Japan, Spain and Donnelly College in KCK led him to a full career with local non-profit Children International. Along the way, Tom toured the John Wornall House with his young children and thought it would be a good place to return to.

Tom enjoys sharing with visitors and groups the compelling stories of these historic houses, the people who lived there and how they shaped our world.

Chief Snuggle Officer/ Resident Attention Seeker

Annie was named after the infamous Kansas City madam Annie Chambers. Originally a feral cat, Annie was deemed happier by her rescuers as a “cat with a job,” and Wornall/Majors adopted her to keep the Wornall Carriage House pest-free. However, she has quickly become accustomed to the good life and spends most of her time begging for pets and treats.