NAAM Staff

Carver C. Gayton, Ph.D., Executive Director

Barbara Earl Thomas, Deputy Director/Curator of Programs

Brian J. Carter, Education Director

Kendra Dawn Jeffrey, Membership/Development Assistant

Barbara Lavert, Office Manager

Carver Gayton, Ph.D

NAAM’s Executive Director, Carver Gayton, Ph.D., a former Boeing Executive, educator, School Board Member and respected community leader. Dr. Gayton has the ability to mobilize staff, capitalize on challenges and opportunities, and engage personal contacts and organizational resources to achieve unforeseen results. As Washington State Employment Security Commissioner under Governor Locke, Dr. Gayton established sweeping statewide employment reform. Dr. Gayton was also Corporate Director of College and University Relations for The Boeing Company for many years, where he had responsibility for establishing higher education policy for the organization as well as corporate giving to institutions of higher learning. Dr. Gayton’s Ph.D. is in Political Science with emphasis on Organizational Theory. His Masters degree is in Public Administration.

Barbara Earl Thomas

Barbara Earl Thomas is the Museum’s Deputy Director and Curator of Programs; Barbara holds a B.A. and MFA in fine arts. She is an accomplished artist and writer with 25 years of successful arts administrative and marketing experience including service as the Program Director for the Seattle Arts Commission, Director of Seattle’s Bumbershoot Seattle Arts Festival, and Marketing Manager for The Elliott Bay Book Company. Her knowledge of the arts world, impeccable writing style, ability to manage and create arts related budgets as well as her experience managing volunteers for high profile arts projects make her a cornerstone of the project.

Brian Carter

Brian Carter, Education Director, is a graduate from the University of Washington’s graduate program in museum studies, where he completed a full internship with the University’s Henry Art Gallery. Brian also holds a degree in history from Stanford and began studying law before turning to museums. Brian’s museum background, strong research and writing skills, as well as his ability to produce high quality results in a fast paced environment contribute greatly to the educational and program aspects of the Museum.

Kendra Dawn Jeffrey

Kendra Dawn Jeffrey, Membership/Development Assistant, is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology. Kendra brings to the project a museum background that includes a Washington State History Museum work study student as well as college intern at the Northwest African American Museum. She is involved in numerous community outreach volunteer activities.

Barbara Lavert

Barbara Lavert, Office Manager, holds a Masters degree in urban planning and has been involved in community, environmental, and long-range planning for over 7 years. Barbara brings 17 years of marketing experience and strong organizational and communication skills to the project.