Preserving
and Sharing
History for All
Brucemore inspires community interaction with history, preservation, and the arts. The 1880s mansion, six other historic structures, 26-acres of gardens and grounds, and tens of thousands of objects and archival documents serve as an irreplaceable foundation representing more than 130 years of history. Since 1981, more than one million people have visited the carefully preserved estate for community, cultural, and heritage programs.
Our vision is twofold:
- To expand the legacy of Brucemore’s families in making Iowa a better place to live, work, and visit.
- To model a balance of best practices in preservation and innovative use.
Are you passionate about history, preservation, or the arts? Get involved in supporting our mission and vision.
Brucemore Staff
Administration and Finance
- David Janssen, Executive Director
- Kelly Costello, Business Manager
- Katie Benedix, Development Manager
- Rachel Potthoff, Preservation Project Manager
Buildings and Grounds
- David Morton, Director of Facilities
- Aaron Brewer, Historic Landscape Manager
- Blais Richards, Maintenance Specialist
Community Engagement
- Tara Richards, Director of Community Engagement
- Jessica Peel-Austin, Museum Program Manager
- Megan Clevenger, Program and Outreach Manager
- Jerry Campbell, Manager of Visitor Services
- Jennifer Beall, Visitor Services Assistant
- Allie Mersch, Visitor Services Assistant
Board of Trustees
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization based out of Washington D.C., owns the Brucemore buildings and landscape. The operation, which oversees care of the estate and programming efforts, are developed by Brucemore, Inc., a non-profit run by a local Board of Trustees.
2022 Board Officers
- Brian Fagan, President
- Doug Neumann, Vice President
- Kathy Hall, Secretary
- Kimberly Hillyard, Treasurer
2022 Board Members
- Brian Bergstrom
- Kevin Bruns
- Ryan Buresh
- Robert Cataldo
- Lisha Coffey
- Suzy DeWolf
- Tom Kaldenberg
- Mark Mathis III
- Dr. Jennifer Murphy
- Kim Schmidt
- Doug Steinmetz
- Daniel Thies
Jobs & Internships
Brucemore’s team views history as a collection of diverse experiences and cultures that provides a better understanding of who we are today. We are committed to preserving this unique estate for future generations, and we embrace collaboration, integrity, and other core values in order to achieve the highest professional standards.
Visitor Services Assistant (Part-Time)
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled
REPORTS TO: Program and Outreach Manager
CLASSIFICATION: Part-Time, Hourly
WAGE: $10.00 per hour
SCHEDULE:
- Minimum 9-to-12-hour weekly commitment during tour and event shifts
- Must be available Saturday and Sunday for daytime shifts, 11:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- Other shifts, including weekdays and evenings, may be available occasionally.
POSITION OVERVIEW:
The primary function of this position is to facilitate the experience of Brucemore guests while ensuring excellent visitor service. The position is responsible for answering questions, facilitating self-guided exploration, and delivering guided tours to reinforce interpretive, educational, and experiential goals. This position will orient guests to the historic site’s offerings, facilitate access to tours and programs, and provide opportunities to engage visitors through retail operations, membership sales, and program ticketing. The staff member is also responsible for the safety of visitors and volunteers while providing oversight of Brucemore and enforcing site policies. Strong candidates will demonstrate excellent customer service, adaptability, problem solving, and interpersonal skills, and the ability to learn and deliver a guided tour.
DUTIES MAY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
- Assist in day-to-day operations including opening and closing buildings, preparing visitor serving buildings to receive guests, preparing cash registers, monitoring museum security, and answering and directing phone calls.
- Fulfill hospitality needs for property usage and scheduled programs to ensure that guests feel welcome.
- Facilitate guided and self-guided tours following operational procedures, including being able to deliver a tour.
- Mitigate issues that distract from enjoyment of the site or alert appropriate staff when necessary to mitigate concerns.
- Greet guests enjoying the site and be available to provide general information about Brucemore, including orientation and wayfinding, site history, special programming, membership and donations, special event opportunities, and other amenities.
- Model exceptional guest service and ensure that other staff, volunteers, and vendors maintain our guest experience standards and other policies.
- Ensure an understanding of and help enforce Brucemore policies by responding calmly and positively to guests.
- Provide accurate cash handling skills and operation of the point-of-sale system, including processing admissions, memberships, event/program fees, and retail transactions.
- Promote the site’s mission and representing the site.
- Record and tabulate attendance and demographic records.
- Assist with mentoring and supervising volunteers in the content and delivery of the tour.
- Other duties as assigned.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be at least 18 years of age and have a high school diploma or GED.
- Previous customer service work experience preferred.
- Available to work weekend days required and occasional evenings.
- Ability to stand for long periods of time, climb stairs daily, and occasionally lift and/or carry items up to 25 pounds unassisted.
TO APPLY:
Please submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references by mail or email to:
Brucemore
2160 Linden Dr. SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
hr@brucemore.org
Brucemore is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status, or disability.