Above & Beyond Children’s Museum in downtown Sheboygan has named
Catherine Tinker as its new executive director, effective April 8.
Tinker spent the past eight years as director of education and community programming at
Bookworm Gardens, also located in Sheboygan. In her new role at Above & Beyond, which is located 902 N. 8th St., she will manage museum fundraising, grant writing, marketing, human resources, operations and strategic planning while engaging the community in supporting museum initiatives and building creative educational partnerships in accordance with its mission, according to a news release Tuesday.
Tinker succeeds
Jackie Erdman, who resigned in January after leading Above & Beyond for three years and now serves as
interim development director at Habitat for Humanity Lakeside.
"We have so many incredible nonprofit resources for children in our community, and I look forward to furthering connections with the families, members, volunteers and supporters that I have met over my more than 10 years in Sheboygan,” said Tinker. “I am thrilled to join the team at Above & Beyond Children's Museum and to further the mission of the organization."
During her time at Bookworm, Tinker oversaw the planning, implementation and evaluation of more than 30 programs for learners of all ages. Her leadership resulted in a national collaboration with Little Free Library through the Read in Color Program, the creation of a nature-based 3K preschool program and more than $1 million raised to support the organization's mission.
“Cate is a highly respected leader in our community with an impressive array of knowledge and experience. We are excited to work with her in moving the museum to a new and exciting future,” said Tim Saeger, board president of Above & Beyond Children's Museum and financial advisor of Thrivent Financial.
Tinker received a bachelor's in anthropology and educational studies from Illinois Wesleyan University and a master's in museum studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program through the State University of New York at Oneonta. In addition to her work, she currently serves on the board of directors at the
Riveredge Nature Center. A local resident since 2013, Tinker lives in Sheboygan with her husband, Patrick, and daughters, Phoebe and Harriet.
Tinker takes the helm at Above & Beyond about a year into the museum's
recovery from a burst pipe incident that caused $150,000 in ice and water damage to all four floors of the building and shut the museum down from December 2022 to March 2023.
“Knowing we were unable to serve families and children through a safe, clean, indoor space that is so beloved has been the most difficult part of all of this – especially with it being wintertime,” Erdman, the former executive director, said when the museum reopened in March 2023.
The Sheboygan community rallied around the museum's fundraising effort to recover lost revenue from admissions during the closure. Among them were an anonymous donor and the Efroymson Family Fund, who each gave matching donations of $25,000 and Sheboygan-based
3 Sheeps Brewing Co., which hosted a taproom event that raised $11,000.
