Andrea Mellard will assume the role of executive director for the Shield Ranch Foundation effective June 28, 2021. For over two decades, she has created opportunities for individuals and communities to have transformative experiences in museums, parks, and historic sites. A commitment to connecting with diverse communities and expanding access informed her seventeen years in a variety of programming, education, outreach, curatorial, and leadership roles during The Contemporary Austin’s development of the lakeside Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria and downtown Jones Center. From her childhood through college years she lived in Central California, where she learned to value both the agricultural working lands of the Salinas Valley and the Monterey Peninsula’s wild places. Austin has been her home for over twenty years since she earned an M.A. in American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. She is omnivorously curious and enjoys connecting with people and observing the artistic beauty of nature while kayaking, birding, and hiking. She resides in Austin with her husband Jason, a Texas music historian.
