Meet the Team

Karen brings extensive experience to her role as executive director, having served as the Business and Programming Director at the Neill-Cochran House Museum in Austin for the past five years.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in History with a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Texas at San Antonio, as well as a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from the University of Texas. Her thesis, uniquely focused on preserving Tranquility Base, the Apollo 11 landing site, reflects her passion for safeguarding history. She has been a presenter at state level organizational meetings, and is also a published author.

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Her vision for the Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center is to grow awareness and involvement in the Bastrop Community.

Relocating to Bastrop in 2011 from New Jersey with her husband, daughter and Brazilian niece, Gloria started volunteering when the Visitor Center moved into its new facilities on Main Street. With a professional background in non-profit administration in metro-New York and a love of history, it was a natural fit for her. She brings a wide range of experience from leadership position opportunities serving The Museum of Early Trades and Crafts, Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, The Valerie Fund, The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation (The Charles A. Lindbergh Fund), and the State of Florida Department of Health. Gloria is a proud alumnae of Florida State University and Duke University. She is a member of the B.E.S.T Leadership Program and a Certified Tourism Executive (CTE) candidate through the Texas Travel Alliance. Gloria is also a longtime organic gardener.

Born in Hallettsville, Texas, Barbara received a B.A. in History from Lamar University and taught Texas History for 31 years in the Spring Branch Independent School District.  Barbara and her husband, Alex, retired to Bastrop in 2001.  She has been with the Museum for 19 years, responsible for museum operations including accounting functions, museum and bus tours, general correspondence, press releases, quarterly meetings, and preparing the membership newsletter.

Candiss Lawrence began as an associate in the Visitor Center and Museum in October, 2020.  Candiss is a lifelong resident of Texas.  She has resided in Bastrop for five years.  Prior to her move here, she lived in Austin for thirty-five years where she worked in healthcare as a surgical assistant, specializing in Ophthalmology and raised her two children.  Her children and two grandchildren live in Austin. Candiss loves animals of all kinds.  She is a pet sitter in her spare time in addition to caring for and loving her own two dogs and newly acquired kitten.  She also enjoys landscaping and growing microgreens, hiking and camping.

Nancy Wood took her position in 2023 to help develop downtown events that draw tourists to the historic area. Nancy comes to her position after retiring from the City of Bastrop as the Bastrop Main Street Program Director from 2007 to 2016.
She had a decades-long career in corporate sales and management training for an international bank and department store retailing for a West Coast company. 

In 2022, the Texas Historical Commission awarded Nancy the Anice B Reid Award for Community Heritage Development. She and her husband have called Bastrop home since 2002.

Heather brings to her position an interdisciplinary background and set of diverse experiences, including three years of collections management in both museum and academic settings, facilitation of moving and reorganizing large collections, and development of object-based educational projects connecting rural culture, environmental science, and knowledge preservation. Prior to these experiences, Heather served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Paraguay, where, when not dueling with roosters in her bed, she had the honor of developing a variety of youth-based educational programs and related community exhibitions.
 
Heather received advanced degrees in History and Spanish from Bowling Green State University. When not playing with artifacts, she enjoys primitive camping, kayaking, and traveling. She lives in Bastrop, Texas with her two very precocious Paraguayan cats.

Traci is from Nebraska and took the scenic route to Bastrop via Kansas, Iowa, New Jersey, Korea, Venezuela, Louisiana, Indonesia, and California.  She has worked for the states of Texas and Louisiana, for a Dept. of Defense/NASA-funded research/database project, GE Medical, the VA Medical Center in Houston, the UT-Austin Library, and Del Taco.  Most recently, she did a little jail time (photo op only) as a volunteer at the Rosenberg, TX, Police Department. She and her husband reside in Bastrop with a yard full of leaf-cutter ants, moles, and deer.

Rachel takes care of the Social Media and Public Relations side of the museum and anything else that's needed! Born in Utah and raised in New Mexico, Rachel's journey led her to Texas straight out of college, and she has called the Lonestar State her home ever since! A former History and English teacher, Rachel has a passion for historical education and loves being creative, making this position her dream job. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and running. Rachel's favorite season in Texas is Spring, when she can bask in the beauty of bluebonnets and enjoy the pleasant weather. A proud Texas Longhorn (Hook'em) and BYU Cougar (Go Cougs!), she is excited to be on the Bastrop Museum team!