Shakeup underway at Vallejo museum after executive director resigns

VALLEJO - Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum executive director Melinda McCrary has resigned from the museum after an at-times turbulent first year when she caused controversy by proposing a new events fee in the museum’s city-owned building and removed a prominent exhibit early.

McCrary declined an interview request from the Vallejo Sun, but told the Vallejo Times-Herald last week that she will be starting a fundraising job at the Chicago History Museum.

“We're sorry to see her go,” Vallejo museum board president Liat Meitzenheimer said. She said she knew McCrary was under pressure working a second job. “We were hoping that things would work out so she could stay, and unfortunately she got a better offer.”

Meitzenheimer said that program director Trevor Allen will be promoted to interim executive director but that there are no plans for additional hiring yet.

“We haven't had a chance for the board to sit down and figure out what our new direction is going to be, but we’re confident that Trevor can hold down the fort until we get everything situated,” Meitzenheimer said. “We plan to continue with all the things that we typically do throughout the year.”

The museum opened in 1979 in a city-owned Spanish Renaissance building that served as Vallejo City Hall from 1927-1975. It was saved from being razed during Vallejo’s urban renewal project by community groups with the backing of the Vallejo City Council and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The museum leases the building from the city at no cost and the city maintains the structure and funds some interior maintenance.

Its permanent galleries feature Vallejo history and it has an extensive research library that includes photos, newspapers and documents that date back to the Civil War.

Its theater hosts concerts, comedy, movies and plays and its event space hosts short-term exhibits and events that celebrate Vallejo’s diverse culture and history, such as book signings, historic exhibits, art exhibits like the annual Vallejo Open Studios show, and cultural celebrations like Hispanic Heritage Month

McCrary came to Vallejo after working as executive director for the Richmond Museum of History and Culture for eight years, replacing Jim Kern who retired last year after guiding the museum for 33 years.

Kern said he was sorry to hear that McCrary is leaving and wishes her all the best.

“One of the best things about working for a smaller museum is that you get to do a little of everything, unlike in a larger museum where you are more specialized,” Kern said. “The downside is that you have to keep a lot of balls in the air at once. It can be pretty hectic.”

But McCrary caused controversy among some community members, arts and nonprofit groups accustomed to holding shows and community events at the museum at no cost when she proposed a new rental policy for the event space and theater.

“Small organizations like Solano AIDS Coalition and other ones will be unable to bring the cultural programs, some of them have been at the museum for more than 17 years,” Solano AIDS Coalition director and former museum board member Mario Saucedo said.

Public historian and museum volunteer Anna Bergman has held an annual Bayard Rustin symposium in honor of the civil rights activist since 2018. All of these were held at the museum except for 2020’s online symposium. Bergman moved the 2023 event to the John F. Kennedy Library in anticipation of the new museum rental fees.

But Bergman said that the museum is a nonprofit in need of funds so she didn’t take the proposed pricing changes personally.

She said McCrary is a very hard worker with many great ideas. “It is always going to be a challenge for somebody new to come in and take over for a longtime director,” Bergman said. “The board of directors should have offered Melinda more support. I think there were probably unspoken understandings that Melinda wasn't aware of, and how could she be?”

A scheduling error that cut the Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit short also caused some friction with exhibitors.

The museum’s 2022 Fundraiser Gala was booked for Oct. 15, the same day as the closing ceremony for the Hispanic Heritage exhibit. “[McCrary] called me a week before the exhibit was over and told me she wanted me to remove my exhibit ASAP because she was having a gala for the museum,” said Saucedo, one of the event organizers.

McCrary later emailed an apology to the group, but Saucedo felt that didn’t go far enough. He said he believes the double booking was an honest mistake, but should have been handled differently. “If you make a mistake of that caliber the best thing to do is apologize publicly,” he said

Saucedo says he wishes McCrary the best. “I do like her, I just don’t like the way she approached situations.”

“I think Trevor will be wonderful,” Saucedo said. “He knows exactly what is going on in the museum. He gets along with everybody.”

Allen was a longtime museum volunteer who was hired as program assistant and recently promoted to program director. He is a member of Vallejo’s Commission on Culture and the Arts and a performer and playwright best known for his solo show and subsequent book “Working for the Mouse.”

A fixture in the Vallejo arts community, Allen volunteers with Obtainium Works and the annual Mad Hatter Holiday Parade.

Meitzenheimer said that going forward, the museum is trying to be more of a cultural center and art center and plans to freshen up the museum's many historical exhibits, changing them more frequently and adding audio to make them more user friendly and encourage repeat visits.

“We can't just use one block of history and then think that's going to carry us forever,” Meitzenheimer said. “A lot of the stuff that happens in Vallejo doesn’t get recognition.” She cited the African American housing districts that were built during World War II when most of Vallejo was redlined, as neglected and little-known history.

Meitzenheimer is hopeful that the exhibits will be updated this year. “We want it to become more inclusive of what our diversity is and what the people brought to Vallejo,” Meitzenheimer said. “But it all depends on how we get funding.”

The museum is located at 734 Marin St. and is open Tuesday through Friday 12 - 4 p.m. and Saturday 10 - 4 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students and children under 12 are free. The third Saturday of each month is Free Family Day. More information about the museum's programs is available at vallejomuseum.net.