HAGERSTOWN, MD – Washington County Museum of Fine Arts has announced two new members to the Board of Trustees, Tracy Holliday and Antonio Tobias “Toby” Mendez.

“We are happy to add the nonprofit leadership skills of Tracy, and the significant knowledge Toby has of art, collections, and the particular challenges facing artists to our Board,” said Sarah J. Hall, executive director, “these areas of expertise add significantly to the broad skill set represented by our Board — which helps the museum to thrive.”

An Eastern Panhandle, West Virginia native, Tracy Holliday earned a Bachelor of Business Administration at Marshall University with a concentration in marketing and economics. She began her career as a Realtor in southern Washington County where she developed a special interest in historic homes.

Since the 1980s she and her husband, Kevin Ledden, have lived in Ringold, Maryland, where they restored a log home and raised their children.

Holliday has spent years with Renfrew Institute for Cultural and Environmental Studies in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. She rose from volunteer to becoming a member of the staff in 1996. During her tenure, she has moved from registration to assistant director and grants director before becoming executive director at The Institute.

During the pandemic, she shepherded the Institute through a move to a 40-acre property where the organization is establishing a nature center and living classroom. Holliday fondly recalls visiting the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts as a child and she has cultivated an appreciation for the arts throughout her life.

Born in Colorado, Antonio Tobias “Toby” Mendez grew up in Japan and Thailand before his family moved to Maryland. He attended sculpture classes and honed his art skills in a gifted and talented program for young artists. By age 16, Mendez knew he wanted to be a sculptor.

He apprenticed with the Academy Award-winning makeup sculptor John Chambers. Mendez then attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where he learned the processes of bronze casting practiced by sculptors and fine art foundries for centuries. He was soon able to create commissioned sculptures.

To further educate himself, Mendez studied the techniques used in creating large-scale monuments while in Spain. In 1988, Toby set up his studio in Washington County, Maryland. His well-known sculptures include the Thurgood Marshall Memorial in Annapolis and “The Teammates” for the Boston Red Sox. Two of his pieces are included in the museum’s current exhibition, “Treasures of State: Maryland’s Art Collection.” He is currently working on final preparations for the completion of the Clara Barton Memorial, a major public installation that will be located near the museum.

As members of the Board of Trustees, Holliday and Mendez will serve three-year terms. Their terms started July 1, 2023.