Rachelle Meinecke became the Executive Director of the Augusta Historical Museum in May 2009. Rachelle is a lifelong Augustan who graduated from Augusta High School in 1991.
Rachelle holds both a Bachelors and Masters in Anthropology from Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. While in college, her educational emphasis was on archaeology, cultural anthropology and museum studies. She helped research and create exhibits for the Lowell D. Holmes Museum of Anthropology at Wichita State University.
Rachelle was a stay-at-home mom for eight years. The last two years she has been a substitute teacher in the Augusta and Andover school districts. She has also participated in archeological digs with the State of Kansas and has been a research volunteer at the Butler County History Center in El Dorado, Kansas.
Rachelle has a lifelong love of history and museums that she partly attributes to her grandmother who took her to museums on the weekends for as long as Rachelle can remember.
"I believe that knowing the history of something helps you feel more connected to it and that by educating the community about its history, people will have more pride and feel more of a connection to the place they call home," Rachelle shared.
Rachelle has been married to Jason Meinecke since 1994. Jason is a supervisor for McCollom Construction, Inc. in Augusta, Kansas. The two have two children, Noah and Julianna. Rachelle is very active in her church, enjoys reading and spending time with her family. | 
