Museum at the Bighorns Names New Director

Museum at the Bighorns now has a new Executive Director.

Angela Roper, who previously served as Executive Director of the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was the top choice by the museum board to be the new executive director of the Sheridan museum.

Roper talked to Sheridan Media on Friday, Oct. 23. She arrived in Sheridan from North Texas the day before and is ready to jump right into her new role.

When asked about her move to Sheridan, she said she has vacationed in Wyoming and loves the state.

Roper brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in nonprofit management, association leadership, museum operations, hospitality, fundraising, community engagement, and organizational development to her role as Executive Director of the Museum at the Bighorns.

When asked what her vision was for the museum, Roper said that, depending on what the board expectations are, this is what she sees for the museum.

A relationship-focused, hands-on leader, Roper believes strongly in communication, collaboration, and coordination—backed by accountability, trust, and integrity. She is passionate about preserving history while finding new ways to make it relevant, engaging, and accessible to the community.

When the museum moved from the Fifth Street location to the Main Street location, the display items were moved into storage until they could be organized in the new space.

Board President Greg Luhman added about bringing the exhibits to the new space.

Chip King, Operations manager, added that everything is being cataloged and re-cataloged and re-organized.

As with all non-profit organizations, museums depend on fund-raising. Roper’s experience also includes executive leadership and consulting for nonprofit trade associations across multiple states, where she has worked extensively in governance, advocacy, membership development, training, fundraising, and strategic planning.

Luhman said that there were three very qualified applicants, but Roper really stood out, her past experience with fundraising, museum operations and everything was what they were looking for right now. “She really fit into the mold we were looking for, we are really pleased to have her.”

Roper said she is excited to make Sheridan her home and looks forward to working with the Museum’s board, staff, volunteers, members, donors, and community partners to build on the Museum at the Bighorns’ strong foundation and help share the stories of Sheridan County and the Bighorn region with generations to come.

There is currently a fund-raiser going on for the museum, as well as upcoming exhibits, but they will be addressed in another story.