New faces are joining Mosaic Templars Cultural Center’s mission of preserving, interpreting and celebrating African American culture and history in Arkansas.  

“The new talent coming into MTCC will help the museum move forward with programming and content that engages our community and opens dialog and partnerships statewide,” said Key Fletcher, director. Fletcher, who was deputy director at MTCC, was appointed to the director position just this past May. 

New employees are Raven Cook, education director; Keyth Howard, historic sites manager; Ronald Jensen-McDaniel, development director; Curtis Smith, assistant registrar; and Alex Abarca, museum store manager. Christen Stanley, who had served as education director, was promoted to deputy director on July 1. 

Each new employee brings a set of skills that will help MTCC flourish, Fletcher said. 

Cook has advocated for and led the development of new programing for the advancement of African American history in Northwest Arkansas and statewide. With advanced studies in history, political science and African American history from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, she has used her skills to incorporate art, music and other resources as tools to educate and empower students of all ages.  

As the associate museum educator for Outreach and Community Tours at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Cook has led the effort to create a museum coalition to focus on inclusion and developed standards-based tours on African American history and art.  

Howard, who served as an enlisted and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, earned his master’s degree in public administration and 12 hours toward his doctorate in higher education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He was a real estate leasing agent, appraiser, property manager, agent and broker. He has severed the state of Arkansas for 27 years and is experienced in public service, management and administration. 

Howard is a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and a proud father of four boys.   

Jensen-McDaniel has a background in community music, music administration, database management and development. Previously, he was the development coordinator at the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  

In his free time, Jensen-McDaniel plays peek-a-boo with his daughter, plays back up percussion and vocals in his wife’s band and plays fiddle tunes whenever he can. Jensen-McDaniel is well known as an integral part of the arts community in Central Arkansas.  

“I hope to bring my experience working with people from all walks of life to this new role as director of development,” Jensen-McDaniel said. 

Smith earned associate degrees in applied history and liberal sciences as well as business management from the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College and North Arkansas College, respectively. His previous experience includes proprietorship of a construction business as well as human resources and customer service experience within two of the largest fortune 100 companies. He is earning a bachelor’s degrees in history and anthropology at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with the intent to attain his master’s degree in public history, cultural anthropology and archaeology. Smith has long been interested in history and previously spent time as an Intern before becoming a volunteer at MTCC.  

Smith, who started at MTCC this past April, is dedicated to understanding human traits and development, as well as histories. 

Stanley earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University and a master’s degree from Ball State University. She is a certified teacher in Arkansas. Stanley is an advocate for African American history. She comes with a broad set of experiences, including spending time educating children in Germany, and was director of education at MTCC for the past four years. Stanley has been a leader for all kinds of programming at MTCC. This year, her program, “Have History Will Travel,” a children’s at-home learning project, was picked up by the Smithsonian Institute for possible nationwide distribution. She also worked with a design company on the planning and design, including the interactives, teaching concepts and research validity for teaching children about diversity, for the new children’s gallery exhibition, “Same. Different. Amazing.,” which opens in September. 

“It is an honor and a privilege to continue serving MTCC in this new capacity,” Stanley said. “My years of extensive experience in administrative duties and leadership pairs perfectly with our goal of continuing to create a cohesive team and museum space that’s engaging and dynamic for years to come. Arkansas has a treasure in the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, which is a world-class institution, and we want the stories we share to reflect the impact Black Arkansans have made worldwide.” 

Abarca has extensive experience in retail, business and sales and studied at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Since starting in April, Abarca has overseen renovations at the Museum Store, started recruiting artists for the store’s Black Crafted program, taken and revamped inventory and sales operations and implemented new sales targets and strategies to engage the community.  

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to create sales plans with brand partners and strengthen the awareness of the museum, artists and businesses in Arkansas’s African American communities,” Abarca said. 

The background of each new team member will be instrumental as MTCC seeks to enhance its reputation as a world-class, nationally accredited museum, Fletcher said. Plans are already underway to build more engagement, increase fundraising efforts, focus on new programs and events and further incorporate online and in-person educational content. Among the highlights, includes the September opening for the MTCC children’s gallery, which is the only one of its kind nationwide.  

“MTCC is on the cusp of garnering national attention for quality programming and insight into African American history and culture,” Fletcher said. “When people think of African American history, when they consider making trips to the South to see historically significant places, museums, art and culture, they will think of Arkansas. They will think of Mosaic Templars Cultural Center.”