Sarah Hall, became director of the WCMFA in July 2020 and brings to the museum nearly 30 years of experience with museums and exhibitions. Joining the museum in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah worked to increase the museum’s variety of online programming, while also stabilizing and strengthening the exhibition program. Under Sarah’s leadership, the museum has embarked on its first professionally-led Master Planning process in its 90-year history and had its most successful Annual Fund. Prior to joining WCMFA, Sarah was chief curator and director of collections at The Frick Pittsburgh, where she directed the curatorial department for thirteen years of a 25-year tenure. In this role, she oversaw the care, exhibition, and interpretation of the Frick’s permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Hall has been responsible for leading major grant-funded historic preservation, conservation, and exhibition projects, including work on historic structures as well as collection objects. She has extensive experience with museum education, staff training, and public programming. Hall has taken graduate coursework in nonprofit organizational leadership at Robert Morris University and also did graduate study in arts and humanities at the State University of New York at Buffalo, specializing in film history, media studies, and creative writing. She is a graduate of Leadership Washington County, Class 35.
Nancy Motherway attended Bentley College, Walthan, Massachusetts, where she received an Associate of Science in Accountancy and a Bachelor of Science in Finance. Nancy is a Member of the Bentley College Falcon Society, Bentley College. Before joining the WCMFA she was the Business Finance Manager for the Friends Meeting School, Ijamsville, Maryland, and St. John Regional Catholic School, Frederick.
Sam Scalph holds a Master’s in Museum Studies from Johns Hopkins University, with a focus on accessibility in museums, collections, and exhibition strategies, and a Master’s in History and Culture from Union Institute and University. Sam most recently served as Access Programs Manager and Adult Programs Manager at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia, where they developed and led programs across art, history, horticulture, literature, and handcrafts. They also created programs and initiatives designed to make museum experiences more accessible and inclusive for audiences with disabilities, sensory sensitivities, and learning differences, while building partnerships with community organizations and advocacy groups.
As Director of Education, Sam focuses on creating welcoming and inclusive opportunities for visitors to engage with art and one another. Driven by a passion for fostering curiosity, creativity, and inclusion, they are excited to learn about the needs and interests of the community and help grow WCMFA as a place where everyone can experience the arts.
Growing up eating at the table that belonged to her fourth great-grandmother, a grandfather who loved family genealogy, and a mother with a 12-pound Howitzer cannon with carriage in the living room, you could say she was destined to choose the care and interpretation of objects as her career. A Colorado State University, East Carolina University graduate, and the Corcoran College of Art & Design, she began her career cataloging and photographing objects at the Maryland Archeological Conservation Center. For over a decade, Sarah cared for the collections and exhibitions at the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Georgia, and then at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Virginia. At the Museum of Aviation, Sarah was the project lead in the successful accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums and drafted plans and policies used by the National Museum of the Air Force for all their field museums. She loves to combine the detailed organization needed for registration work with the creativity and hands-on work needed with exhibitions and has worked on more than 35 exhibitions. The “Down to Earth: The 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment” exhibition she worked on won the 2009 Southeastern Museum Conference Exhibition Competition Award of Excellence, Air Force Heritage Award, Air Force Materiel Command Excellence in Heritage Projects award, and the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries Museum Exhibition of the Year.
Bailey Rafter, Manager of Marketing and Publications
Bailey Rafter joined the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts in 2025 as Manager of Marketing and Publications. A Hagerstown native, Bailey brings a passion for strategic storytelling, community engagement, and digital media to her role. She holds a Master of Professional Studies in Public Relations and Corporate Communications from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Language & Literature from Stevenson University, where she also minored in Management & Organizational Leadership. Her professional background spans healthcare communications, nonprofit consulting, and digital media strategy. She has worked with organizations such as the United Way of Washington County, the Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management and Public Safety, and R2Integrated. Bailey has developed communications plans, managed social media, created websites, coordinated events, and produced research-based marketing strategies.
Linda Johnson Ph.D., Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator
Linda Johnson, Ph.D. serves as the Agnita M. Stine Schreiber Curator at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. She is a curator and historian of American art, specializing in painting, sculpture, and works on paper from the 18th through 20th centuries, with particular emphasis on American Impressionism and Realism, landscape and environmental studies, and intercultural encounters in American art. Linda previously held positions as Curator at Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and Exhibition Coordinator for American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts. She is currently a member of the Association of Art Museum Curators and is active in the College Art Association. In addition to her museum work, she has held academic appointments, most recently as Visiting Professor of Art History at the University of Michigan–Flint. Linda holds a Ph.D. from Michigan State University, specializing in American Studies, Art History, and Visual Culture, along with a graduate certificate in Museum Studies. She is a senior fellow in the Visual Arts at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, serves on the editorial board of The Journal of Animal Ethics, and is the author of Art, Ethics and the Human Animal Relationship (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), as well as numerous scholarly publications. As curator, she is committed to developing engaging exhibitions and interpretive strategies that make art historical scholarship accessible, dynamic, and meaningful for diverse audiences.
Yaw Dankwa is a seasoned security and protective services professional with more than 26 years of experience across state, federal, corporate, commercial, and nonprofit sectors. Over the course of his career, he has advanced from Security Supervisor to Security Manager, leading teams responsible for personnel supervision, operational planning, risk mitigation, and comprehensive safety programs.
Yaw has extensive experience working within museum environments, where he has overseen daily security operations, protection of cultural and historical assets, access control systems, emergency preparedness initiatives, and coordination with public safety and emergency response agencies. His work focuses on maintaining safe, welcoming spaces that support both public engagement and responsible stewardship of collections.
He is also Co-Founder of Cassamajor Protective & Investigation LLC, where he served for six years as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, directing company operations, staff development, compliance standards, and organizational strategy. Throughout his career, Yaw has specialized in security program development, training, and emergency planning, bringing a strategic and collaborative approach to institutional safety.
HAGERSTOWN, MD — October 5, 2026 — The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) announces that Executive Director Sarah J. Hall will be stepping...
Posted on October 7, 2026
From Bedtime Story to Beloved Childhood Friend: The Art of Marc Brown Comes to Hagerstown HAGERSTOWN, MD — For generations of children, Arthur has been...
The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts invites visitors to step into the world of Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) this summer with Alphonse Mucha: Master of...
HAGERSTOWN, MD — As the United States approaches its semiquincentennial in 2026, the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is proud to present the 2026...
