SCA Board of Directors

Brian hails from the Great White North, land of Eskimo (now Inuit) Pies, the Quints, and donut culture. He always takes the Blue Highways, given a chance. And he will take any legit roadside motor court over the "they-all-look-the-same" chains any day. Brian is recently retired from a 25-year career as a city planner in Toronto, 3 years of which was spent in the City's Heritage Preservation Department. There he helped save classic motel signs and fast-disappearing mid-century streetscapes. An avid participant in SCA conventions and events, Brian harbours aspirations to organize the first international SCA conference in Niagara Falls, New York and Ontario. He also has delusions about writing an SCA-themed book on "apron art" (see p.5 in the latest Road Notes). Brian believes celebrating, documenting, and preserving the roadside architecture and culture of the 20th century is an important and worthwhile endeavour and that the SCA is the obvious organization to do it. But it needs more exposure and more members. Brian wants to devote some of his new-found time and energy to promotion of the SCA. Objective: more resources to advance the Society's mission.

Josh Silber, a lifelong New Yorker, is an attorney by profession and an amateur travel photographer whenever he gets the opportunity. He has long put his focus on mid-20th century vintage storefronts, theaters and signage. He has traveled extensively in the US and Europe and has visited Cuba many times, organizing trips for fellow photographers with similar interests to capture and share the beauty of the island and particularly the crumbling mid-century remains which are a time capsule to that whimsical and optimistic era before the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

Emily Taggart Schricker has been enjoying neon signs and abandoned gas stations since she drove solo across the country on her move to Los Angeles, California. Add seven years of living on the west coast, surrounded by amazing twentieth-century goodness, and she was well prepared to join the SCA in 2014. Following her time in the television industry and roaming the streets of Hollywood, she moved to Fredericksburg, VA to make her Historic Preservation education official. There Emily studied at the University of Mary Washington and received her Bachelor of Liberal Studies in Historic Preservation. Her focus was on historic materials and building documentation as well as grant writing; she received a variety of awards upon her graduation from the program in 2015. Between her studies and work at a local CRM company, Emily explored and documented Fredericksburg's untapped roadside history of U.S. Route 1. While volunteering at the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) Emily coordinated an annual event focusing on Fredericksburg’s twentieth-century history, the Vintage Route 1 Event, it included tours and exhibits focusing on the local road's history and more modern architectural treasures. In 2016 Emily joined the HFFI staff and soon became Executive Director. Now living in Philadelphia, PA Emily is closer to her family and hometown of Lancaster, PA where giant shoes, the occasional 15-foot Amish statue, and rarely appreciated early-twentieth century architecture lurks.

From East to West and back East again, Kimberly has been braking for roadside kitsch since she received her driver’s license. Kimberly is inspired by programmatic architecture, outsider art, dive bars and the magical, place-unmaking powers of all things Tiki. She believes her favorite structures contribute to a distinctly American landscape: the roadside. Kimberly grew up among the brick rowhomes of Philadelphia. She has an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from Temple University and a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia. Her master's thesis examined the eccentric but strategic ways early business owners vied for roadside visibility. Kimberly currently lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Kimberly encourages everyone to brake (responsibly) and support the businesses that make up the endangered American roadscape.

Frank is a lifelong odologist with a concentrated interest in the highway U.S. Route 40 (Atlantic City to San Francisco). His areas of expertise include cartography, diners, roadside ephemera and artifacts, family road trips, and Jack Kerouac. A member of the SCA since 1995, he served as a board member for the group between 2002-2006 where he served as web manager and membership chair. In addition, he was a charter member of the Ohio National Road Association (2002-2004). He has authored over 200 articles in publications such as American Road, the SCA Journal and Newsletter, Old Roads (Mighty Networks), and Milestones and Waymarkers (U.K.). Frank also created one of the first roadside web sites in 1997 (now located at www.route40.net).  In addition to the written word, he has made numerous presentations on roadside topics including a recent online SCA presentation about reconstructing Jack Kerouac’s On the Road travels. His current works in progress include a seven-decade update to George R. Stewart’s U.S. 40, several Kerouac-related projects, and memoirs of family road trips (1957-1977) and post-9/11 travels. Moreover, he is currently working with a major filmmaker on a documentary about Route 40. He has been the focus of many mainstream news features and three chapters in William Least Heat-Moon’s 2008 book Roads to Quoz.In addition to the SCA board, Frank has served on the boards of the International Television Association (1991-1992, communications officer) and the Chelmsford Village Condo Association (2014-2016). He has also volunteered with various habitat and Special Olympics groups in Ohio, Louisiana, and Massachusetts.Retired since early 2022, he previously worked in the IT field, most recently as an IT director for online learning systems at Southern New Hampshire University. He worked in higher education for 20 years following a 24-year stint in the corporate world. He holds B.S. (Theatre Arts) and M.S. (Instructional Technology) degrees from Towson University.His avocations include genealogy, amateur radio (N3HVX), and building and playing musical instruments.

Mike Carsten is an environmental graphic designer in New York City whose passion for architecture, history, and signage has led to the execution of projects built on planning, skill, and expertise. Mike graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with a BFA in Communications and Graphic Design. Today he is a senior designer spearheading design, implementation and project management of architectural graphics and signage programs for a variety of clients. In addition to his professional accomplishments, and job of designing signs and future commercial archeology, he has committed himself to documenting and preserving the signs, structures, and curiosities of his native New York, and other cities through fascinating images. Mike travels and seeks out his urban interests such as neon signs, diners, old skybridges, historic or quirky buildings, small or interesting architectural details, any and all commercial archeology with a story, or the obscure and weird things around us. This started with a fascination with documenting the old things left in New York City, as the city is changing, and these older remnants are removed and replaced with new. He realized it’s extremely important to preserve these sights anywhere the best we can, even if by a photograph or memory. Nostalgia is his middle name.

Returning for another stint on the SCA Board, leaping Muffler Men in a single bound, Jeremy is a passionate lover of all things quirky, off-beat, and eccentric. Growing up on a solid 1980s diet of Midwestern drive-in movie theatres, a requisite college cross-country Route 66 road trip, and a stint amongst the exquisite movie palaces of Los Angeles, his appetite for mimetic architecture, flashy signs, Art Deco chevrons, and Googie boomerangs is limitless. Jeremy completed his Master's degree in Historic Preservation amidst the neon, trees, and neon trees of Portland at the University of Oregon, where his thesis focused on neon sign preservation. He currently serves as the Public Outreach Manager for The Landmark Trust USA in the birthplace of the SCA - Vermont - and worked most recently as the Executive Director at the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance in Wisconsin. He also serves on the Greenfield (MA) Historical Commission. Jeremy holds fast to his conviction that the best architecture is the kind that makes you smile.

Christine is currently an associate professor of historic preservation at the University of Mary Washington where she teaches classes in building investigation, architectural history, and vernacular architecture.  Recently she published an article titled “Getting to the Bottom of Ohio’s Mysterious Blue Hole” in the Journal of the Society of Commercial Archaeology and co-authored a chapter in the edited volume Contested Pasts: Urban Heritage in Divided Cities. She earned a PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design, and a MHP from the University of Maryland, a MArch from Catholic University, and a BA in Art History from William & Mary. Before joining the UMW faculty in Fredericksburg in the Fall of 2015 she spent close to 25 years living in Washington, DC where she and her partner restored an 1888 row house and she discovered that her favorite place to learn about the city is from her own front porch.

Michael is an experienced urban planner and design architect with significant experience in the resort and tourism market. His work has included architecture and planning projects, including Red Sky Ranch Member + Guest Clubhouses (Eagle County, CO); Ritz-Carlton Residences, Vail; and a new base ski village for Breckenridge Mountain Resort, in Colorado. Serving as a preservation planning consultant to the New York City Department of City Planning, he completed work on design guidelines and signage recommendations for the Coney Island Redevelopment Master Plan, Brooklyn, NY. Prior international planning experience includes the Master Plan for the Lulu Island Resort, Abu Dhabi, U.A. E. Prior architectural experience includes the Doubletree Hotel, Tarrytown, NY (2005); and the Parker Meridien Hotel / Spa / Conference Center, Palm Springs, CA (2004). He is currently consulting on architecture, planning, and historic preservation projects in New York City. Michael received his B.Arch degree from Pratt Institute (1986), and a M.S. in City and Regional Planning, with a preservation planning certification, also from Pratt Institute (2006). Michael has served on the advisory board of The Doo Wop Preservation League, in Wildwood, NJ since 2003. The organization’s educational mission is to foster awareness of the popular culture and imagery of the 1950's and 1960's, and to promote the preservation of the largest collection of Doo Wop (mid-century modern) resort architecture found in the United States. In this role he wrote the “How to Doo Wop” handbook of design guidelines for the Wildwood Hotel/Motel District. He was also involved in the research of the Chateau Bleu Motel for its nomination to the New Jersey State Register of Historic Places, now on the National Register. Mr. Hirsch has received A.I.A. and A.P.A. awards for his urban planning/community design work.

Ron is the principal and founder of POSTMKTG, a branding, design and digital media agency in Schenectady, New York. Among his duties as a member of the board of directors, Ron manages and maintains the SCA website. In addition, Ron teaches undergraduate courses in media studies and the politics of design at Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI), and branding and marketing at the undergraduate and graduate level at the Massry School of Business at the University at Albany. He also volunteers his web and promotional skills to support several regional nonprofits and spends a good deal of his free time (free time?) documenting, researching and contextualizing ghost signs and Googie treasures. Ron holds a BA in General Studies from SUNY Oneonta (1981) and an MA in Liberal Studies from SUNY Empire State University (2008).

Steve grew up in the entertainment industry, the son of a stagehand in NYC. He has always had a different view of the world. While staying in Saratoga, NY, with his family, he was introduced to US 4 and 9, NY 32, and the back roads of upstate NY. During those summers he found stories of casinos, antiques, prohibition, and local history. These stories impacted his love of theatres, casinos, neon, art deco, roadside architecture, and kitsch. Steve has a BS. in Management Information and an MS in Ed Tech.Steve has had three careers, General Manager for Concessions for a first-run movie theatre chain in NYC in the 80s. As a stagehand in Local #1 NYC, working mainly at ABC and the soap opera "One Life to Live" was career two. His last career change was as a Business and Technology teacher in a 7-12 grade building in Ridgefield Park, NJ. While there Steve was also involved in Coop Education and the Extended Year special needs program.Since retiring, Steve has engaged in activities that interest him. Steve has been to 43 of the 50 states and is working on the rest. He travels with his wife and dog in their B-Class RV. They have been cross-country to see the Rose Bowl Parade and have made several trips along Rt. 66, going to Las Vegas for conventions.Las Vegas and Nevada have been in Steve's activities for many years. He has been a member of the Casino Collectible Association for over 35 years. Steve is an editor of Casino Collectible News for over 11 years. Steve's love of neon signs has had him following the Neon Graveyard, from being out behind Yesco's shop on the outskirts of Las Vegas, to being donated to the Neon Museum

Tim has been interested in non-mainstream pop and roadside culture for several decades. During his professional career, Tim was senior editor for Amusement Business magazine, a business to business trade publication, covering the amusement park, fair, carnival, circus and sideshow industries, for 18 years. After that he served as VP of Communications for Ripley’s Believe it or Not! for 12 years. He was the corporation’s media voice, and cartoon editor. He also booked sideshow talent into the Ripley venues worldwide, and for the last five years, produced and cohosted the Ripley’s Believe if or Not! radio show, The Oddcast.

Janice Rohn is a pioneer in the field of User Experience, having led the design and research for companies including AT&T, Experian, and others.  Janice started her career at Stanford, where she was performing research on artificial intelligence and expert systems in medicine.  She then joined Apple, where she worked on the design and research across all the products, and was a co-author of the Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines.  Janice is currently Head of Customer Research and Experience for Intel.  She also has taught over 15,000 professionals on topics ranging from design to management.   Janice's love of design and information architecture is not constrained to the digital world--she has loved building architecture, history, and how design, technology, and function relate to each other.  She has been a member of SCA for over 15 years, and a Board member and past Secretary for 9 of those years.  She has attended every conference since 1998, and adores the SCA family.

Cynthia, born in Lowell, Massachusetts of Jack Kerouac fame, is a visual culture specialist, curator, author and collector with an A.B. from Vassar College, an Ed.M. from Boston University and a Ph.D. from New York University.

In grade school, after receiving an antique photographic travel album published by the C.I. Hood Sarsaparilla Co., dating to the time when Lowell was the center of America’s patent medicine industry, she was hooked on travel.

Later, as a doctoral student, she began travel writing. Her first press trip took her to Finland where her fantasy of being pulled in a sleigh by reindeer was realized in Rovaniemi, Lapland, and culminated with her first travel article on Sami folkways. 

Meanwhile, at the Folk Art Museum in New York City she organized traveling exhibitions on Southern Folk Art and Swiss Folk Art and wrote books and exhibition catalogues, including Larger than Life: The American Tall-Tale Postcard, 1905-1915 (Abbeville Press).

As a recipient of a Minnesota Historical Society Research Grant to study the works of two early photographers, she drove the length and breadth of that state, always stopping to view a giant sculpture or visit an off-beat museum.

Signage was always of interest. Roadside advertising has been around since recorded history, with the ultimate purpose to attract attention by means of a strong visual message. This remains true today. Early signage still visible in contemporary European trade signs relates to America’s visual storytelling heritage of novelty architecture as well as outsider art environments.

Believing postcards to be historical documents, she is a self-proclaimed postcard historian and is completing a manuscript on a previously unknown Norwegian immigrant self-taught photographer, O.S. Leeland, who produced real photo postcards in South Dakota in the early 1900s during the homesteading period. 

In our computer-driven era of instant communication and social media, roadside artifacts display a unique link to the past. In the end, childhood dreams of travel became reality and a teaching primer that Cynthia hopes sparks interest in popular culture where quirky architecture, larger-than-life sculptures and whimsical signage live on and are preserved; ideas that SCA promotes. 

Steve has been a Los Angeles resident since 1988 and has fallen in love with the history of the city, focusing his lens on the vintage signs and historic buildings in the City of Angels. In his day job, he is a Story Editor Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering, the theme park design and development division of The Walt Disney Company.Steve has been an Imagineer for 33 years and some of the highlights of his writing career include Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for Epcot; Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios), Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout (Disney California Adventure); Avengers Campus (Anaheim and Paris); Turtle Talk with Crush (Disneyland; Epcot; Tokyo DisneySea), Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor (Magic Kingdom); Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios) and Web Slingers, A Spider-Man Adventure (Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park Paris). In his career with Imagineering, Steve has had the opportunity to write for some amazing actors and actresses including: Rick Moranis, Eric Idle, Martin Short, Julie Delpy, Cindy Crawford, Joan Rivers, James Earl Jones, Allison Janey, Frank Oz, Ellen DeGeneres, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bill Nye, Patrick Warburton, Chris Pratt and the Muppets.Steve has had the honor to work on many dream projects for every Disney Park in the world, but his most unusual gig representing Disney was to be a guest judge on the Food Network Challenge Star Wars Cake Edition!Steve is co-founder of Signs United, a group of vintage sign devotees whose diverse members include photographers, fine artists, neon benders, historians and preservationists from around the world. Steve came to this passion for all things vintage as a photographer.Steve’s photographs of vintage neon have been featured in exhibits at The Museum of Neon Art in Glendale, CA, The Perfect Exposure Gallery in Los Angeles and in Vienna, Austria. He has traveled far and wide to capture signs of bowling alleys, motels, bars, coffee shops and liquor stores to try and capture their design and artistry and because these signs truly are time capsules that might not be there the next time we pass by. They are works of art that deserve to be protected and celebrated.Instagram: @colorbyspiegel

Stephanie Stuckey is CEO of Stuckey’s, the highway oasis that’s been serving pecan log rolls and kitschy souvenirs to road trippers since 1937. Founded by her grandfather, W.S. Stuckey, Sr. in Eastman, Georgia, Stuckey’s grew into over 350 stores nationwide by its peak in the 1970’s. The company was sold in 1964 and sadly declined for decades under a series of corporate owners. Fortunately, Stuckey’s is now in family hands again and making a comeback, with a mission to make road trips fun. Stephanie received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. She worked as a trial lawyer, was elected to seven terms as a state representative, ran an environmental nonprofit law firm, served as Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. Stephanie purchased Stuckey’s in November of 2019 and assumed the role of CEO at that time. Stephanie’s achievements include being named one of the 100 Most Influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine and a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. She is active in her community and has served on many nonprofit boards, including the National Sierra Club Foundation, EarthShare of Georgia, and her local zoning review board. When she’s not running the Stuckey’s candy and pecan shelling plant in Wrens, Georgia or the distribution operations in Eastman, Georgia, Stephanie enjoys traveling by car to explore the back roads of America and pulling over for every roadside oddity and souvenir shop along the way.

Bill Swislow counts roadside art among his longest-standing passions, starting in the late 1970s when he began following blue highways in preference to the interstate (though he has learned to value interstate travel as well). He appreciates all manner of roadside architecture, with a particular love of the vernacular kind and a particular interest in hand-painted signs. Early adoption of the Internet made his interestingideas.com site one of the first Web destinations for lovers of roadside and outsider art, though his efforts now seem modest compared with those of the many other advocates who eventually took up residence online.Bill, a founder and former executive at Cars.com, is a writer and art collector. Before joining Cars.com, Bill worked at the Chicago Tribune and at other media organizations. Besides operating interestingideas.com, he sits on the board of Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. He has written about art for a variety of publications, including the Chicago Tribune, Raw Vision, Folk Art Messenger and Intuit’s Outsider Magazine. His account of The Gyros Project, a celebration of hand-painted signs, appeared in the SCA Journal. He also has curated exhibits focused on art made from bottle caps and on popular crafts, among others. He has written and published two books: Lakefront Anonymous: Chicago’s Unknown Art Gallery, which documents the thousands of mostly anonymous rock carvings that line Chicago’s lakefront, and Bizarre Bazaars, which collects oddball names of stores, restaurants and other businesses.