Rowena Houghton Dasch, Ph.D.
Executive Director, rhdasch@nchmuseum.org
Rowena Houghton Dasch has led the Neill-Cochran House Museum as Executive Director since the end of 2013. She holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in American Art from the University of Texas at Austin and an A.B. in Art and Archaeology from Princeton University. Her work at the NCHM encompasses all aspects of the Museum’s operations, the historic property’s preservation, and the creation and management of the Museum’s active schedule of rotating exhibitions. Dr. Dasch’s current work focuses on the site’s 2-story Slave Quarters, including her collaborative publication with Dr. Tara Dudley, Reckoning With the Past: Slavery, Segregation, and Gentrification in Austin (2021).
Estevan Balderrama
Business and Programming Director, ebalderrama@nchmuseum.org
Estevan Balderrama is the newest addition to the Neill-Cochran House Museum Team. Estevan comes to the museum with a life-long passion for history. He has a B.A. in history from the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in public history from Texas State University, where he completed his thesis titled As Long as Life Endures: Oakwood Cemetery and Reconstruction Austin which uses Oakwood Cemetery as a jumping off point to explore Reconstruction Austin and the Austin-area Freedom Colonies, including Wheatville Freedom Colony which existed near the NCHM site.
Paul Cato, M.S.H.P.
Communications Director, pcato@nchmuseum.org
Paul Cato handles communications and social media for the Neill-Cochran House Museum. Originally from Georgia, Paul received his B.A. in History from Emory University and his M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Texas at Austin. His passion for historic preservation began in Japan, where Paul worked with Chiiori Trust and Alliance to rehabilitate underused and abandoned traditional buildings as rental houses, restaurants, and other tourism facilities. Returning to the States, Paul completed his studies and worked for Preservation Texas, Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Inc., and John Garrett Design, before joining the Neill-Cochran House Museum in 2021.
Cristina Feldott
Development Officer, cfeldott@nchmuseum.org
Cristina Feldott joined the Neill-Cochran House Museum in 2024 as the Development Officer. She is a native Austinite with a love for old Austin and a Bachelor's of Journalism from The University of Texas at Austin. She has extensive development experience and has worked with countless nonprofits in Austin. She also enjoys working as a community organizer and is committed to promoting voluntarism. Contact Cristina any time to talk about ways to support the Neill-Cochran House Museum.
Gene E. Heard
Museum Facilities Manager
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Gene Heard has overseen all aspects of the historic and contemporary buildings at the Neill-Cochran House Museum since 2007. In addition to installing all of our exhibits, refinishing collection furnishings, and designing and building a new display in the 1855 dependency, he is the master of the five separate breaker boxes, the six air-conditioning units, the countless sets of keys, the multiple kitchens and bathrooms, as well as the landscaping crews, installations, and sprinkler system. In short, NCHM simply cannot function without his attention. Look for him here and at Chateau Bellevue, where he also oversees maintenance operations and leads guided tours.
Join Our Team!
Interested in an internship?
We are always looking for talented interns to join us for a summer or a semester. If you are interested in applying for an internship, please send a cover letter and resume to info@nchmuseum.org.