The Division welcomes new staff members
Join the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs in welcoming its newest staff members, who bring a wealth of experience in working with the public and historic sites.
Scott Baurys (he/him) joined the Division in August 2022 as a casual/seasonal maintenance mechanic. He previously worked as a mechanic at Bayhealth in Dover, as a painter for the state’s Office of Management and Budget following a 24-year-long career as a sales manager with AT&T Wireless. Baurys holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice, a bachelor’s degree in finance and he holds certifications in HVAC from Polytech and as an electrician from the U.S. Navy, where he spent seven years on active duty and reserves. Baurys is also a member of the First State Animal Center and SPCA’s Board of Directors. He has been married for 30 years and has two children.
Octavio Diaz (he/him) joined the Division in May 2022 as a construction project manager. He has worked in construction and historical restoration since 1998 within New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware in a wide variety of positions from laborer to head of operations. The New Jersey native said he loves seeing historical sites come back to life and enjoys preserving the past for future generations. Diaz enjoys spending his free time in his local church and ministry, where he leads the Men’s Ministry encouraging other men of the faith through fellowship and mentorship. He also enjoys playing the drums and the music ministry and spending time with his wife and three children while outdoors and traveling.
Juliette Ervin (she/her) joined the Division at the end of August 2022 as an accountant helping manage accounts for all of the Division’s properties. She has been passionate about accounting for a decade, and enjoys working with numbers and problem-solving. Ervin previously worked as an accountant at Millsboro-based accounting firm Robert M. Hoyt & Co., where she worked closely with several businesses in managing their account payables and receivables, updating QuickBooks and filing taxes for corporations, partnerships and individuals. The Felton native now lives in Frederica and enjoys spending time with her husband and four children building Legos, visiting theme parks and doing a little Geocaching on the weekends.
Wendy Girnis (she/her) joined the Division in November 2022 as an interpreter at the New Castle Court House Museum, where she has an opportunity to meet interesting people from all over and to teach them about the history that took place at the site. She believes we can learn a lot from studying history’s successes and failures. Girnis joined the Division after retiring from a 27-year career with the Colonial School District, where she taught third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students. In her free time she enjoys camping, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Annie Hicks (they/them) joined the Division in late 2022 as a historical interpreter after working as an intern at Cooch’s Bridge transcribing legal documents and wills of the Cooch family with the goal of examining the roles of widows and other women, employees and the enslaved people who lived, worked and died on the property. Annie is a student at the University of Delaware majoring in history education with a museum-studies minor.
Antoinette Maccari-Klingsberg (she/her) joined the Division in September 2022 as a historical interpreter at the New Castle Court House Museum where she focused on the colonial era, along with the formation of the United States of America and the state of Delaware. The museum also is a Network to Freedom site, giving the opportunity to also interpret topics related to the Civil War, slavery, underground railroad, court cases and legal documents pertaining to slavery and freedom, as well. Maccari-Klingsberg first remembers enjoying history during a fourth-grade social studies class and during a field trip to historic New Castle. Working in the history and museum field became a calling for her. Before joining the Division, she worked for a decade as an education curator with the Delaware Historical Society at the Delaware History Museum and the Read House & Gardens where she loved open-hearth cooking workshops, transcribing historic receipts, developing cemetery and walking tours, creating school programs making use of primary sources and working with all of the members of education staff who had so much knowledge and varied life experiences. She’s also a member of the board of directors at Greenbank Mill & Philips Farm in Wilmington, Delaware, holds a master’s degree of education and is raising four children along the Delaware/Pennsylvania state line along with her husband, two dogs and pet guinea pig.
Francis “Fran” Mahon (he/him) recently joined the Division as a historical interpreter at the Zwaanendael Museum. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Mahon holds a master’s degree in historical archaeology from the University of York in England and a dual bachelor’s degree in anthropology and art history from the University of Delaware. He previously worked for the Zwaanendael Museum from 2018 to 2019, returning in 2022. He has a wide range of cultural-heritage experience, from archives to historic preservation and archaeology in and around the Caribbean, southeastern U.S. and New England. Among other things, he enjoys the musical workings of Sade, Shakira and Little Mix.
Darin Nelson (he/him) recently joined the Division as a historical interpreter at the John Dickinson Plantation. Nearly a decade ago, Nelson received a bachelor’s degree in museum studies from the University of Central Oklahoma. Museums were his career choice, libraries his hobby. But that equation changed after accepting a position with the Oklahoma County Metropolitan Library System in 2015 with museums rotating to the hobby position. Now, after relocating to Maryland last October to reconnect with his family, the cycle continues. He is excited to be working in the museum field with the interpretive team at the John Dickinson Plantation.
Joe Pascarella (he/him) joined the Division in October 2022 as the project manager for the planned new visitor’s center at the John Dickinson Plantation (stay tuned for updates on that project!). Even though Pascarella studied business in college, he’s always had a love of history. Almost all of his professional experience has been in project/program management supporting the federal government in the national security environment during his time in northern Virginia. The self-described Philly sports fan moved to Delaware in summer 2021, along with his wife and son, to be closer to Pascarella’s parents in nearby New Jersey.
Sharon Richey (she/her) joined the Division in October 2022 as an administrative support specialist. A native of Halifax, Virginia, and a long-time Delaware resident, Richey holds certificates in surgical technology from the Harrison Career Institute in Philadelphia and in billing and coding from the Dawn Career Institute in Newark. She has worked as an obstetrics and gynecology technician for Chester County Hospital and as a medical technician in Philadelphia. Prior to joining the Division, she worked as an operational support specialist for the Delaware Department of Insurance. In her spare time, she loves being with family and friends, bowling and sewing. Richey has one daughter who is the love of her life.
Dezmon Ridley (he/him) recently joined the Division as a physical-plant maintenance/trades mechanic. Proud of his father’s ancestry from Ireland, Ridley’s parents named him after an Irish god. He graduated from Smyrna High School in 2022 where he was enrolled in several welding classes. However, because of COVID restrictions, he did not have any hands-on learning during his senior year. Fortunately, he was able to practice at home using his father’s welding tools. Dezmon enjoys video games, movies and music — including rap, but also the music of the ‘70s and ‘80s that was introduced to him by his grandmother. He is looking forward to working in historical rehabilitation for many years to come.