Board Officers
President
Pat O’Brien
Pat O'Brien
Pat and his wife Andrea moved to Cave Creek from the East Coast in 2002 when Pat retired as a senior manager from a NYC publishing company. He also retired from the Military in 1996 as a C-130 pilot for the Maryland Air National Guard.
Pat served for several years on the Cave Creek Board of Adjustments and has been a longtime supporter of the Cave Creek Museum. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Black Mountain Conservancy, the Desert Foothills Land Trust, the Desert Foothills Library and Art at the Nativity in Scottsdale.
In Pat’s “spare time” he is active in fine art photography, exhibiting his work in Phoenix, Scottsdale and New Mexico. Pat, Andrea and their two 4-legged children now live in rural Maricopa County where they designed and built their dream home in the amazing Sonoran Desert.
Vice President
Tamsin Wolff
Tamsin Wolff
Tamsin’s board experience includes: The Museum Education Roundtable, Sonoran Arts League, and board officer for several Pennsylvania religious organizations. Since coming to Arizona in 2014, she has volunteered with projects at Holland Community Center, Desert Foothills Library and Desert Foothills Land Trust.
She majored in American Studio Craft at Towson University then taught K-8 art before completing a Masters Degree in Museum Education at George Washington University. Her 40-year career in 7 east coast museums includes developing programs, field trips, a children’s discovery room and other exhibits plus outreach, development and grant writing. She has served as an NEH grant reviewer and published articles in professional journals and exhibit catalogs.
Secretary
Keith Otsuka
Keith Otsuka
Keith is originally from Pearl City, Hawaii. His father’s military assignments brought the family to various places, including Sierra Vista, where Keith graduated high school. Upon graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy, his career took off as a test pilot and he then followed an impressive career in various aspects of the aviation industry overseeing a number of commercial and miliary programs at Boeing. Keith is now on terra firma, retired and living in Cave Creek for the past 4 years. His interests in history and archaeology drew him to the Museum where he is excited for the wonderful opportunity to serve on our Board. Keith noted, “My first visit to the Museum stirred my interest and I was hooked.”
Treasurer
David Ackerman
David Ackerman
David Ackerman is the CEO and Founder of CalNutri, Inc., a company that helps Consumer Product Goods Brands convert their ideation to commercialization. He volunteers with The Chamber, and Kiwanis locally. Elsewhere, his experience includes service on a Planning Commission, as a City Councilman as School Board President with service through engagements with the Lions and coaching soccer. David enjoys the hiking, aviation, chess and trail-running. He lives in desert foothills with Christina his wife and their two daughters.
Board Members
Larry Ross
Larry Ross
Larry grew up in Seattle and St. Louis. He has a BS in Civil Engineering from, University of Missouri @ Rolla, a BA in Anthropology from Washington State University and a MES in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College. Larry worked 30 years for the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Transportation Engineer and Environmental Specialist, then almost 10 years as the tribal Archaeologist/Cultural Resource Specialist for the Squaxin Island Tribe in Kamilche, Washington. He and his wife Catherine retired and moved to the Rio Verde Foothills area in 2010.
Larry has been interested in history and archaeology since early childhood, and is excited about being part of the Museum board. He has been on the board of the Desert Foothills Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society for several years. Hobbies include camping, travel, art collecting, and photography.
Museum Staff
Executive Director
Jo Ann Stuckey
Jo Ann Stuckey
Jo Ann’s education and career is in business administration and nonprofit management. For over 40 years, she has served in various capacities from volunteer, board officer positions, to staff. She has held positions with school organizations, historical societies/museums, HOAs, garden clubs, national and international organizations, and professional organizations.
She and her husband Daryle moved to Cave Creek, Arizona from southeast Virginia in 1995. They found their place in the area’s distinct combination of harsh landscape, lush and diverse vegetation, and fiercely independent locals. Jo Ann retains her initial amazement and awe of the raw beauty of the Sonoran Desert.
Jo Ann served on the board for the Museum Association of Arizona as secretary for 2 years and president for 2 years. Additional service included secretary and treasurer for Central Arizona Museums Association. In 1995, she became the Cave Creek Museum’s first paid Executive Director, serving to 2005. By invitation of the Board of Directors, Jo Ann returned in spring of 2025 to lead Cave Creek Museum as Museum Director. She is dedicated to creating a sustainable and inspired future for Cave Creek’s history museum.
Development Specialist
Jo Novelli-Blasko
Jo Novelli-Blasko
Jo Novelli-Blasko has been working with non-profit organizations and artists to raise funds and build audiences for decades. From volunteering to consulting, her service is grounded in a belief that building relationships is central to sustainable, meaningful growth. Jo’s experience includes helping a food bank better feed its community, a regional orchestra diversify its audiences, and a member-owned food cooperative bring fresh options to their rural customers.
When she is not promoting the good work of Cave Creek Museum, she is teaching Art History at Paradise Valley Community College, nurturing her development consultancy, or swimming laps. Jo is completely new to Cave Creek, and she loves it already!
Operations Manager
Colin “Buck” Columna
Buck Columna
Colin “Buck” Columna has extensive experience in marketing and fundraising in the non-profit sector. His career with Arizona Opera, Arizona Theatre Company, San Francisco Opera and Tucson Symphony Orchestra provides our Board with a unique perspective into the business of arts management. He is a long time resident of Cave Creek (albeit below Carefree Highway) with an intense curiosity of the history of the area’s land and those who lived upon it. In addition to Buck’s commitment to the Cave Creek Museum, he has volunteered with Arizona Equine Rescue, the Cave Creek Rodeo, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and the Pioneer Living History Museum.
