Luncheon Speakers
This year at the WMA 2025 Annual Meeting, October 1-4 in Reno, Nevada, attendees will have the unique opportunity to hear from and connect with professionals from across the Western museum field and beyond, including five inspiring luncheon guest speakers.
Friday, October 3, 2025
On Friday, October 3rd at the WMA Community Lunch, attendees will celebrate the WMA Community with special guest speaker Noelle Kahanu, Acting Director, Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Program, University of Hawaii, Manoa. While enjoying a meal together, attendees will hear Kahanu’s Love Letter to WMA in honor of our 90th anniversary.
The WMA Community Lunch will be held on Friday, October 3 in the Renaissance Reno Downtown’s Hideaway room at 12:30 pm. Tickets are $60 each and require pre-registration.
Saturday, October 4, 2025
The following afternoon, on Saturday, October 4 at the Indigenous Luncheon, attendees can enjoy a meal while meeting colleagues from tribal museums and supporters of Native American concerns. Attendees will welcome special guest Joshua Bonde, Ph.D., Director of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum, Nevada Department of Native American Affairs.
Dr. Bonde is a citizen of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone, is a born and raised Nevadan, and a proud husband and father. He was
raised in Fallon, Nevada on the family alfalfa farm, completed his B.S. in Biology at the University of Nevada-Reno, his M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University-Bozeman, and then his Ph.D. in Geoscience from UNLV. He has previously served as faculty in the Geoscience Department at UNLV, Director of Research and Collections at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum, co-founder (along with his wife Becky Hall) and Director of Research of the Nevada Science Center, Director of the Nevada State Museum, and now currently serves at the Director of the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center & Museum
The Indigenous Luncheon will be held in the National Automobile Museum at noon. Tickets are $55 each and require pre-registration.
All Directors, Deputy Directors, CEOs, CFOs, Leadership Team Members, and Trustees are invited to attend the Directors & Leadership Team Luncheon. This event will feature guest speaker Toni Manfredi, Executive Director of the Nevada Arts Council.
Anthony (Tony) Manfredi serves as the Executive Director of the Nevada Arts Council, a state arts agency within the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Established in 1967, the Nevada Arts Council works to ensure that every community in the state benefits from the cultural, civic, economic, educational, and health advantages of the arts.
In his leadership role, Tony provides strategic direction for the agency’s programs, grants, and initiatives that expand opportunities for artists and arts organizations while enriching the lives of Nevada residents. He represents the agency at regional and national forums, oversees staff and budget management within state government, and works to elevate the arts as a vital component of Nevada’s identity and economy.
With more than 30 years of experience in strategic planning, marketing, creative development, management, and fundraising, Tony brings a wealth of expertise to his role. A graduate of the University of San Diego, he holds degrees in Communication Studies (Mass Media emphasis) and Art (Graphic Communication and Painting dual emphasis).
Tony’s background in design and creative development spans industries from fast-growing tech firms to Fortune 500 companies. His expertise in interactive media, user experience, and web-based marketing has contributed to custom website designs for Hilton, IBM, United Airlines, NEC, and others. Through his dynamic career, Tony has continually driven innovation, engagement, and impact in the arts, media, and design landscapes
The Directors & Leadership Team Luncheon will be held in the Sage Ballroom of the Renaissance Reno Downtown at noon. Tickets are $55 each and require pre-registration.
The Registrars Committee Western Region (RC-WR) Annual Business Meeting Luncheon is open to RC-WR members, as well as non-member Registrars, collections professionals, and related vendors. The Registrars Committee Western Region Luncheon will be held in the National Automobile Museum at noon. Tickets are $25 each and require pre-registration.
Especially for curators, development officers, educators, evaluators, exhibit designers, and all who make possible the engaging stories that museums tell is the Storytellers and Supporters Luncheon. The recipient of the Charles Redd Award for exhibition excellence will present on the winning exhibition, to be announced soon!
The Storytellers and Supporters Luncheon will be held in Hideaway of the Renaissance Reno Downtown at noon. Tickets are $55 each and require pre-registration.
If you’re interested in attending any of these luncheons, we invite you to add them to your existing registration (or register for WMA 2025) on the WMA 2025 Registration online portal.
We look forward to seeing you in Reno!
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