History

The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) was founded by Robert J. Ulrich, former CEO and chairman emeritus of Target Corporation. An avid collector of African art and a world museum enthusiast, Ulrich and his friend Marc Felix originated the idea for MIM after a visit to the Musical Instruments Museum in Brussels, Belgium. Their unique vision was to create a museum and collection that afford equal representation to the musical instruments and music of every country in the world. Using state-of-the-art audiovisual technology to show musical instruments being played in their original cultural context and delivering the sound of these instruments through high-quality headphones, MIM provides a one-of-kind experience to museum guests.

Mission Statement

MIM enriches the world community by collecting, preserving, and making accessible high-quality musical instruments, images, and music from every country in the world. We celebrate our world’s diverse musical cultures and foster global understanding by offering our guests an incomparable interactive experience, a welcome and fun environment, dynamic programming, and exceptional musical performances.

Leadership

Senior Management 

Billie (Bill) R. DeWalt, PhD, President and Director

Christopher J. Bell, Vice President of External Relations

Rhonda C. Boyle, Chief Financial Officer

Karen L. Farugia, Director of Marketing

Debbie A. Garnett, Director of Human Resources

Manuel Jordán, PhD, Chief Curator and Director of Collections

Justin Karim, Director of Operations and Public Programs

Sylvia M. Keller, Director of Special Projects

April A. Salomon, Director of Exhibits and Multimedia

Curatorial, Collections, and Conservation Departments

Manuel Jordán, PhD, Chief Curator and Director of Collections

Daniel C. Piper, PhD (ABD), Curatorial Research Associate

Cullen B. Strawn, PhD, Curator of Musical Instruments

Katie Anderson, Head of Registration and Collections Management

Irene Peters, Interim Head of Conservation

Board of Directors

Robert J. Ulrich, Founder and Board Chairman, Musical Instrument Museum; Retired CEO and Chairman Emeritus, Target Corporation; Past Chairman, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Gail J. Dorn, Business Management Consultant, Target Corporation

Marc L. Felix, International Expert on African Art

Michael R. Francis, President, J. C. Penney Company

Robert G. McMahon, Retired SVP, Property Development, Target Corporation

Gary R. Tobey, Chairman and CEO, Haworth Marketing and Media

Billie (Bill) R. DeWalt, PhD, President and Director, Musical Instrument Museum

President’s Cabinet

John D’Addario Jr., Former President, D’Addario & Co., Inc.

David P. Falck, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and Arizona Public Service Company (APS)

Matthew P. Feeney, Partner, Snell & Wilmer

Jeanne L. Herberger, Owner, Hidden Meadow Ranch

Ronald L. Jones, The Ron and Linda Jones Family Foundation

James A. Pupillo, CIMA®, CIMC®, Senior Vice President, Institutional Consulting Director, Family Wealth Director, Spectrum Group at Graystone Consulting

Haldun Tashman, Chairman and Founding Board Member, Turkish Philanthropy Funds

Circle of Friends Volunteer Committee

Jerome A. Colletti, Managing Partner, Colletti-Fiss, LLC

Juan P. Dahdah, President, Entrust Arizona, LLC

Mary S. Fiss, Co-Founder and Partner, Colletti-Fiss, LLC

Russell S. Goldstein, CFP®, Senior Vice President, Private Client Advisor, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management

Andrea M. Markowitz, PhD, Writer, Editor, and Researcher for Businesses, Publishers, and Authors

Patrick R. O’Brien, President, Desert Foothills Land Trust; Retired IT Manager, Random House, Inc.; Retired Lieutenant Colonel, Maryland Air National Guard

Michele E. Yount

Curatorial Advisory Council (2006–2010)

Margaret Downie Banks, PhD, Senior Curator of Musical Instruments, National Music Museum

Eric De Visscher, Director, Musée de la musique, Paris

Patricia J. Grazzini, Deputy Director, Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Cynthia Adams Hoover, Curator Emeritus, Musical Instruments, Smithsonian Institution

Darcy Kuronen, Curator of Musical Instruments, Department of Musical Instruments, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

J. Kenneth Moore, Frederick P. Rose Curator in Charge, Department of Musical Instruments, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gary K. Sturm, Chairman Emeritus, Smithsonian Institution Division of Music, Sports, and Entertainment, National Museum of American History