Executive Director

Lori Shepherd developed a deep connection with the work of Holocaust remembrance and pedagogy as Executive Director of the El Paso Holocaust Museum & Study Center, a position she left when her family relocated to Arizona. Appointed Executive Director of TJMHC in 2022, she brings more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience to this role and is excited to share her passion for Jewish history and Holocaust education with our Southern Arizona community.

Deputy Director

For over two decades, Lynn Davis has served Tucson and Southern Arizona communities in a diverse array of professional and volunteer roles. As a nonprofit executive director and as Director of Arts and Culture at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Davis focused on creating nontraditional partnerships and collaborations to produce original, values-based programming and create unique experiential education opportunities.

Lynn holds a Master’s degree in Jewish Professional Studies from Spertus Institute of Jewish Learning & Leadership.

Director of Programming & Education

Emily Hager is a native Tucsonan and a 2021 graduate of the University of Arizona with an MA in Art History with an emphasis on Nazi-era provenance research. She previously worked at the National Park Service Western Archeological Conservation Center and the UofA Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. Emily volunteered at TJMHC doing archival work before joining the team. She loves animals and books and you can often find her knitting or cross stitching in her spare time.

Director of Operations

Jessica E. Mattix has called Tucson home for most of her life, and her love for this community and the people in it has shaped everything she does. After earning her degrees in Political Science and Russian, she spent eight years teaching English in Kazakhstan, an experience that deepened her appreciation for language, culture, and the power of human connection across differences.

Upon returning to Tucson, her connection to local Holocaust survivors grew into a calling: she spent nine years at Jewish Family & Children's Services (JFCS), beginning as a coordinator for the Friendly Visitor for Holocaust Survivors program and later working closely with Russian-speaking survivors, building relationships rooted in trust, dignity, and shared memory. She ultimately settled into her role as director of marketing and communications at JFCS, where she honed her skills in driving organizational awareness and telling the stories that matter most.

Guest Relations Representative

Yousef Faraj is a graduate of the University of Arizona with a Master's in Art and Visual Culture Education (AVCE) with an emphasis in art history, museology, visual arts, research, and education and a bachelor's from the School of Anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology, art history, and museology. He also conducts research in environmental terraforming, water harvesting and conservation, social sciences, art education, and museum exhibit development. In his spare time, Yousef enjoys writing, creating artwork, the outdoor forests in Arizona, the beaches of California, and meeting people from different communities around the world.

Guest Relations Representative

Neal Ryan graduated University of Arizona with a Bachelor’s in History and a Master’s in Secondary Education. Before coming to the museum, he was a social studies teacher for four years and seasonal park ranger at Kartchner Caverns State Park. When weather permits, he likes to explore ghost towns in southern Arizona with friends. Neal enjoys speaking about history and helping others to learn. He’s looking forward to increasing positive impact for the community through history education at TJMHC.