Kim Claunch Bio

Kimberlee Claunch is the new Curator of the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame on the campus of the New Mexico Junior College. She has worked part time at the museum for the past three years as Curatorial Intern.

Kim received her Bachelors of Arts in History from the University of the Southwest in 2016. She graduated with a minor in Sociology. After graduation from the USW she volunteered to be the Curatorial Intern for the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of fame. She went on to get a certificate in Museum Education and Directorship from Northwestern University and in the summer of 2019, she graduated from the University of Leicester with her Masters of Arts in Museum Studies.

Growing up in Hobbs, NM and going on yearly trips across the United States helped develop the dreamer in Kim. It took a Lead America trip to Washington D.C. to make everything in Kim’s head snap together. Walking through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. Kim fell in love with the idea of making history come to life. She loved the idea of being immersed in history and realizing events actually happened. She has now made it a goal to help bring history to life with museum displays and artifacts on display.

Kim is excited to work at the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame. She views the Museum as a home away from home and a place to play in local and regional history. Her excitement starts with trying to immerse the folk of Lea County in the rich history around them while trying to help bring in history from around the globe. Kim is grateful that the Museum and the New Mexico Junior College has given her the opportunity to be in her dream job.

Erin Anderson Bio

Erin Anderson is the new Executive Director of the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame on the campus of New Mexico Junior College.  She has worked at the Museum for 11 years as Museum Curator.

Erin received her Bachelors of Arts in History from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, in 2005.  She also graduated with minors in Anthropology and The Classics, and a certificate in Medieval Studies.  She went on to receive her Masters of Arts in Museum Science from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, in 2008.  During college and graduate school, Erin volunteered and worked in a number of museums:  Anthropology Museum at NIU, Museum of Texas Tech University, National Ranching Heritage Center, Lubbock Lake Landmark, and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

Growing up near Chicago, IL allowed Erin the opportunity to visit some of the best museums in the country.  It was here that her love of museums began.  Researching history had always been a passion for Erin, but seeing the actual objects from history brought everything into a whole new light.  Erin knew she would pursue a career in museums during a visit to the Museum of Science and Industry in 2000 while walking through the traveling exhibition, Titanic: The Exhibition, from RMS Titanic, Inc.  Erin looked not at the artifacts, but at the exhibit as a whole and said “I can do this.”  While Museum Curator at the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, Erin looked around the Museum in 2016 during Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, from Premier Exhibitions (formally RMS Titanic, Inc) and said “I did do this.” 

Erin has lived in Hobbs, NM for 11 years and considers it home.  She is a part of the Community Players of Hobbs and New Antiquities Theatre Company where she has been an actor, costumer, stage manager, usher, and assistant director.  She is a founding member of the award winning a cappella group, Accidental Harmony.  She also serves on the board of the Southwest Symphony. Erin is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, the Mountain Plains Museum Association, the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, and the New Mexico Association of Museums where she has served on the board.  As Executive Director she hopes to bring her love of history and museums to Hobbs with world-class traveling exhibits and fun and educational permanent exhibits about Southeastern New Mexico.