Museum Staff

David Pfeiffer, Director Emily Spuhler, Curator Linda Talley, Genealogy Librarian

David Pfeiffer, Director

dpfeiffer@co.johnson.in.us
317-346-4502

David attended Loyola University Chicago and received his Bachelor of Arts in History in 2007. He also had the opportunity to intern at the Museum of Science and Industry while attending Loyola. He then pursued a degree in Public History from Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI), receiving his Master of Arts in 2012, along with a Museum Studies certificate. While at IUPUI, he interned Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Museum, and the Chicago History Museum. After two years as an independent contractor for the Great Lakes Naval Museum in Great Lakes, IL, David has returned to Indiana.

Emily Spuhler, Curator

espuhler@co.johnson.in.us
317-346-4501

Emily was born and raised in the St. Louis, Missouri area. She graduated from the University of Central Missouri with her Bachelor of Arts in History and an Anthropology Minor. After graduation Emily was accepted into the Historical Administration Program at Eastern Illinois University where she achieved her Master of Arts degree. She completed a 6 month full- time internship at the Missouri Civil War Museum, as part of her Master’s program, and then became the Museum’s Collection Assistant. Emily has also worked at the McClure Archives Museum as well as interned at the Missouri History Museum.

Linda Talley, Genealogy Librarian

ltalley@co.johnson.in.us
317-346-4503

Linda Kelly Talley was born in Johnson County, Indiana. She attended Greenwood Schools and graduated in 1967. Linda attended Indiana State University for 3 years and took a few classes at Franklin College while living in Franklin in the early 1970s. She began working at the Johnson County Museum of History as a volunteer and became the Genealogy Librarian in 1994.
Jane Hughey, Education Coordinator Kierstin Carnahan, Museum Assistant Michelle Cataldi, Administrative Assistant

Jane Hughey, Education Coordinator

janehughey11@gmail.com

Jane Hughey is a lifelong resident of Franklin. After graduating from Franklin Community High School, she attended the University of Evansville where I majored in history and minored in English. She received a Master’s Degree in Education from Indiana University. Her goal was to become a high school history teacher. As it turned out, She spent 47 years teaching eighth grade language arts in the Franklin Community Schools.

As a teacher, She enjoyed her volunteer hours assisting Goldie Jones, the Education Coordinator, with the Time Travelers History Camp each July.
Along with students who were going into fourth grade or who had just finished fourth grade we explored Johnson County history. When her retirement from teaching and Goldie’s move to Wisconsin coincided, she became the Education Coordinator. At last Jane can teach history!

Kierstin Carnahan, Museum Assistant

Kierstin was born in Indianapolis, IN and raised in Greenwood. After graduating Center Grove High School, she attended Purdue University where she received a degree in social studies education. She taught 7th grade history in Russiaville, IN for three years. Then after receiving master’s certificate in museums studies from Northwestern University, she decided to make a career change and go into museums. Kierstin moved to Georgia in 2016 to be the Curator of Education and Public Engagement at Georgia’s Old Governor’s Mansion in Milledgeville, GA. In 2019, Kierstin married an airline pilot and moved back to Indiana where she currently resides on the northside. After leaving Georgia, Kierstin has worked in marketing and social media and is now the Johnson County Museum of History’s Museum Assistant. Kierstin enjoys traveling around the world with her husband, Ben, spending time with her dogs Ike and McKinley (named after the presidents), and reading.

Michelle Cataldi, Administrative Assistant

(Tuesday - Thursday)
mcataldi@co.johnson.in.us
317-346-4500

Michelle was born in Chicago, IL and raised in Hammond, IN. She lived in Las Vegas, NV for nine years before relocating back to the Hoosier state after her husband Joe finished school and retired from the U.S. Navy. She worked for the YMCA for several years in both Indiana and Nevada. Her passion is volunteering for the U.S. Military with both active duty military, their families and veterans. She volunteered for many years on Nellis Air Force Base and with the USO. Her favorite hobbies/activities are spending time at the library, visiting museums, state parks and historical sites. As a lifelong history buff, working at the Johnson County Museum of History has been a dream job!