First Impressions With Jimmy Gonzalez: Senior Assistant Director of Operations

• Post Date: 2/10/2025
• Author: Beth Watkins, Manager of Exhibit Interpretation and Visitor Experience
• Reading Time: 4 minute read

• Behind the Scenes tag
• News tag

In March 2024, the museum welcomed Jimmy Gonzalez into a brand-new position on our staff. This position is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of business operations, financial policies and reporting, and facilities management. It also involves the complicated task of being the primary contact for all issues relating to the physical care of our building, which is now 25 years old and beginning to show its age. Jimmy also serves as deputy to the Director and actively promotes and implements the Director’s initiatives, leads and coordinates the day-to-day museum operations, and advances our mission and core values. He joined Spurlock after a career in industry and most recently at the University Oak Street Library.

[Beth Watkins] What is it like getting used to working in a museum? You’ve really jumped right into the deep end of some of the work we do.

[Jimmy Gonzalez] Exciting! As a kid, I was always out digging stuff and trying to find artifacts. My grandmother was part Pueblo, and I have always had an interest in cultural history. I didn’t turn out to be an archaeologist, but here I am working in a museum!

[BW] Have you gotten to do much directly with artifacts yet?

[JG] I’ve got to observe the Collections team, and I’ve been sitting in on the museum preservation class that Christa Deacy-Quin and John Holton teach. It’s introduced me to so much of the behind-the-scenes big picture at Spurlock. For example, going to the class helped me understand why integrated pest management is so crucial, even in an emergency situation, but most importantly how we take care of the objects in our stewardship.

[BW] You joined us right before we found out we have been reaccredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Was there anything in the report or from that review process that has been a surprise to you?

[JG] I was so impressed with all the thought that went in. Not just from one individual, obviously, but from the entire team. Everybody came together and provided input to make this process successful. One of the things I think about a lot is safety—that’s part of my job here and has been a big part of my work in industry. Here everything works like a well-oiled machine. But clearly a lot of work has already been done here to get us where we are now.

[BW] Have you discovered anything in your job so far that feels like it really ought to be a higher priority than we thought it would be?

[JG] I see room for me to do a lot as a specialist advocate for some of these tasks, particularly the infrastructure of the building. Doing a walk-through with the campus capital planning committee was an eye-opening experience: the roof, for example, has reached its lifespan and needs help, not because anyone neglected it, but just because it’s a roof that is outside in Midwestern weather. There are other pieces like that—the water heater, our backup generators—that have reached their lifespan.

[BW] What’s one of the hard things about being new?

[JG] The lingo. I’m always asking people “What do you mean by that?” I really value our staff meetings where people share what they’re working on. It gives us all a chance to think about how each piece of our work impacts everyone else—and to think about those questions together. Each meeting means that more potential issues can be anticipated and managed more smoothly. There are so many pieces of the puzzle. We have front-of-house work, behind-the-scenes work, long- and short-term exhibits, public spaces, secure spaces…it’s a little of everything.

My master’s degree is in HR education, and I’ll be using a lot of that here. It’s important to focus on values of being respectful, collaborative, and empathetic. There was such a strong focus on that, especially here at the university. I know you’re not new to campus.

[BW] What are some of the features of working on campus that you like?

[JG] I think the mix of people here—not just staff but also the students—helps tremendously because we get new perspectives. But we also have really tenured staff who can share the back story of many aspects of the building and procedures and how we fit into bigger campus projects and organization. People are really invested in making sure that we build our team carefully and that we work well together. I’m excited to see what the future holds. I’m excited at the potential that I’m going to be a part of. There’s so much interesting work to come. It’s a good time to be here!