Appt. to Heritage Commission, March 26

Anne LeVant Prahl of Portland has been appointed by Governor Kate Brown to a four-year term on the Oregon Heritage Commission. Anne LeVant Prahl is the Curator of the Collections for the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, where she has developed the holdings of the OJMCHE into the state’s most comprehensive repository for the Jewish community of Oregon. Working with archivists, artists, and scholars, LeVant Prahl continues to define the growing collection to reflect an accurate history of the Jewish experience in Oregon. She oversees the oral history program that collects the first-person narrative histories of Jewish Oregonians around the state and speaks publicly on the subject of oral history collection. LeVant Prahl holds a master’s degree in Folklore and Museum Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied data management and collections care in the advent of the computerization of museum records management. She is also active in several regional and national professional organizations including the Northwest Archivists, American Alliance of Museums, the Council for American Jewish Museums, and the Oregon Museum Association. “I am very much looking forward to working with my commissioner colleagues to promote the cultural heritage of our state. It is an honor to be selected for the important task of promoting the diverse history of Oregon and to be charged with helping to shape our future,” noted LeVant Prahl about her appointment. “We are excited to have someone with a strong background in archival records management and Oregon Jewish history,” said Beth Dehn, Heritage Commission Coordinator. “Her breadth of experience and connections in the state are invaluable.” The Heritage Commission is comprised of nine people representing Oregon’s heritage and geographical diversity. There are also nine advisory representatives from state agencies and statewide organizations.