Wildling Museum of Art elects 5 new board members, 1 returning

May 27—The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature recently elected five new board members and one returning member to the Solvang museum's board of directors.

Members include Holli Harmon, Sam Cohen, Belinda Hart, Susan Plummer, Robert Lilley and returning board member Gail Persoon.

Harmon, a resident of Goleta, was appointed in 2020 to fill a vacant seat and will serve through 2022, a museum spokeswoman said.

Harmon also chairs the Exhibitions and Art Committee, and more recently volunteered her time to create "The Nature of Clouds" installation for display at the Wildling Museum.

Cohen, the government affairs and legal officer for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, brings a wealth of experience and connections to the Wildling, the spokeswoman said, having served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees, including the EconAlliance of North County and the Santa Ynez Chamber of Commerce.

Hart, a Solvang resident, retired from a San Francisco investment advisory firm to pursue art. He has served on several other boards including the South Coast Repertory Theatre and the Economic Roundtable of Chapman University.

Santa Ynez resident Plummer is a practicing licensed psychotherapist of 25 years who recently retired as director of the Santa Barbara Alliance for Living and Dying Well. She also served as a past director for a certified hospice program.

Retired professor and research engineer Lilley served as the director of the Avionics Engineering Center at Ohio University and moved in 1997 to Santa Barbara, where he pursued a second career with Northrop-Grumman. He retired in 2016 and continues to consults in aviation electronics and navigation. He and his wife, Ellen, also founded and manage The Graduates, a nonprofit social group.

Returning member Persoon, of Carpinteria, rejoined the Wildling board after a brief hiatus due to term limits. During her last stint on the board, she served as board secretary for multiple terms, a role she has resumed, the spokeswoman said.

Persoon served as a past president for Girls Inc. of Carpinteria and now grows orchids with her husband, Johannes.

Lisa André covers lifestyles and local news for Santa Ynez Valley News and Lompoc Record.