Meet the Team
Jennifer Conley Darling
Executive Director
Jennifer Conley Darling is native Marshallite. Upon graduating Marshall High School, she lived in New York City for 23 years, working in event management and non-profit arts management. She is the President of Darling & Company and the Artistic Executive Director of terraNOVA Collective. Since moving back to Marshall in late 2015, her local clients include The Franke Center for the Arts as the Director of Children's Theater and Arts Education, Eastend Studio & Gallery as the Acting Executive Director, and Starr Commonwealth as the Project Coordinator for Marshall Public School's Resilient Schools Project and the Albion-Marshall Resilient Communities Project. She is also the Managing Director for the Marshall Youngish Professionals Committee. All of these projects and clients speak to Jennifer's passion for mentoring youth, for sharing our stories with each other, and for creating new opportunities to express ourselves through all forms of art.
Cathy Bovitz
Project Manager
Cathy Bovitz has a B.A. from the University of Michigan - Dearborn. She has work experience in several areas, including as a manager in corporate marketing, substitute teacher, and as a legal assistant. Utilizing this diverse background, she now enjoys working as a contracted event and project manager, primarily with arts organizations. As part of the Darling & Company team, her clients include Eastend, the Franke Center, and the Marshall Youngish Professional Committee. She is also the Internship Coordinator at the Battle Creek Area Math & Science Center.
Kat Whaley
Program Director
Kat has a degree in Visual Communication from Ashland University. She grew up in Ohio, but has lived in Michigan since 2004. She taught art in public schools for nearly 30 years and has been with Eastend since 2015. Kat also has experience as a program coordinator and an event planner. An artist herself, Kat creates art in many different mediums including felt, colored pencil, watercolor, and sculpture. Kat is outgoing and a great organizer. This along with her enthusiasm and love of art are an asset to Eastend.
Michelle Miller
Gallery Manager and Curator
A graduate of Western Michigan University, Michelle studied business, art, and engineering to earn her BFA in Product Design. She has grown up in Marshall and loves being a part of the community. Her work and skill set expands over several different mediums such as jewelry maker, wood worker, and a painter. She has exhibited in the Kalamazoo Institute of Art and at Frostic School of Art. She is a member of the Marshall Area Conservation Committee and the Youngish Professionals.
Meagan Wildt
Educator
Meagan has a degree in Graphic Design from Kellogg Community college. Born and raised in Homer, she transplanted to Marshall nearly ten years ago and is proud to call this town her home. A love for art and community brought her to Eastend as an assistant teacher five years ago. Currently she serves as the Educator for Heritage Commons Senior Enrichment Center and the Student Resilience and Empowerment Center in addition to other classes held at Eastend.
Betty Perkins
Ceramics Instructor
Betty Perkins has lived in the Marshall/Olivet area most of her life. She has spent the last twenty years teaching pottery in a variety of settings to people of all ages, including The Battle Creek Art Center and at an art therapy program for veterans. She recently retired from the Special Education department at Olivet Community Schools. She has been with Eastend Studio & Gallery since 2021 and teaches all our ceramics classes. She is looking forward to teaching adult classes in some other media such as mosaics. She enjoys teaching as well as learning a variety of new techniques. Her cheerful, creative, and easy-going personality makes her classes fun and relaxing. She invites you to come “play in the mud” and discover new ways to be creative.
Cali Berry
Event Management
A graduate from KCC with 2 associate degrees, Cali was raised in Marshall and has been involved in the community since a young age whether it be working downtown, helping with events in town, or participating in the local community theatre as an actress and/or a member of the orchestra playing her instrument. She has multiple years of experience in event management and is currently head server at Southern Exposure and is the Sales Coordinator for The Wagner Ballroom.
Erica Isham
Teaching Artist and Gallery Associate
Erica has been an art teacher for 30 years, with a degree in Visual Art and English education. She grew up in the Kalamazoo area, but has lived in Marshall since graduating from MSU in 1996. Erica taught art in Coldwater for 3 years before moving to Marshall Middle School, where she recently retired from her 27th year as the middle school art teacher. She enjoys working with pencil, watercolor, mixed media and papercraft, and has recently been spending her time on new creative endeavors of all sorts. Her knowledgeable, friendly and easy going personality makes her classes fun and relaxing for students of all levels.
Board of Directors
Chairman of the Board
Derek Allen
Vice Chair
Kathleen Lambrix
Treasurer
John Walton
Secretary
Blake Bambach
Directors
Michael Dixon
Jay Larson