Jimi Michelle Hightower supports our project, takes care of our team and keeps us in line. She also provides many of the photos used on the blog posts and is responsible for a lot of the videos. Jimi enjoys many things, including climbing and hiking and exploring the world around her, but what she really LOVES is museums. For this reason, she recently graduated from the University of Washington’s Museum Studies Graduate Program t and says that she just, “Wants others to enjoy museums as much as [she] does.” Jimi wants to share her own museum experience with others by making their experience better. Museums aren’t boring, they’re cool! If anyone wants to visit Jimi’s favorite museum, though, they’ll have to travel to Virginia to see the Chrysler Museum, a family run-museum with many ancient artifacts from around the world.

Jimi spent most of her childhood in Oklahoma. However, her family loved to travel and they spent some time living in a fifth wheel motor home and traveling around the United States. This time was extremely influential for Jimi, and she thinks that some of her experiences traveling up the East Coast helped to define who she is today. Going to Prince Edward Island in Canada and meeting Anne of Green Gables and then traveling down to Massachusetts to see Plymouth Rock stand out in her mind. Did you know that Plymouth Rock is kind of tiny now and covered in spray paint?!

Some of Jimi’s favorite things are autumn, the Grand Canyon, cinnamon, and cats. Somehow, with her classy red hair and put-together outfits, these things seem just right. When Jimi walks in a room, it’s like talking to a real live pumpkin-spice latte. You just feel better.

On the subject of cats, Jimi admits that she’s always had a dream of having an all-white fluffy cat so she can name it Mr. Whilakers. Her favorite Game of Thrones character, Jon Snow, would definitely approve of this all-white pet!

Jimi isn’t a Washington native, but her love for the state might make you think she is. She loves how different this state is. There are different people and different landscapes. It’s a completely different place from her home state of Oklahoma. Jimi is the toughest person in the office, so it’s really no surprise that she’s not at all afraid of change. Nothing gets her more excited than seeing completely new things – new flowers, new birds, etc.

Now I know what everyone’s thinking – who would Jimi be on Scooby Doo? While the name Daphne could really work for her, there’s no question that Jimi would be Velma. However, while Velma is smart, she’s sort of a weirdo know-it-all. Jimi, on the other hand, may have visited almost every state in the nation and be super knowledgeable, but her warm smile and frequent laughs make everyone around her feel brilliant and awesome. I guess the moral of the story is that while Jimi could probably beat anyone up and has better style than all of us, WE ALL LOVE JIMI!