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.