Port Huron Museums Staff

Regina (Gina) Schreck
Executive Director
A seasoned museum professional with over two decades of experience in curation, collections management, and arts administration, Regina Schreck currently serves as the Executive Director for Port Huron Museums. She holds both a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Art History from Michigan State University, with a concentration in 19th-century European art. Her career has spanned notable institutions including the Midland Center for the Arts, Detroit Institute of Arts, Flint Institute of Arts, Michigan Humanities Council, and Kettering University, where she has curated exhibitions, managed large-scale collections, and advanced museum best practices. She has played a key role in multi-million-dollar exhibition redesign projects, written institutional policies, and led collaborations with major partners such as the Detroit Institute of Arts. Dedicated to education and community engagement, she has also lectured at multiple universities and served on arts and public committees. Her work reflects a deep commitment to ethical stewardship, cultural preservation, and innovative exhibition design.

Shelly David
Visitor Services Coordinator
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Shelly started at the PHM as a volunteer, working on her Masters and our archives at the same time. She fills in at all of our sites, works on special projects, and programs.

Charles Peters
Visitor Services Representative
Hometown: Ira, MI
Charles works at each of our sites and is a fan of all things history! He learns so much working at the Port Huron Museums. His favorite artifact is the Mickey Mouse child's rocking toy. In his free time, Charles likes to be with his family!

Mike Popelka
Special Projects
Hometown: Wisconsin
Mike has been at the Museum for over 17 years. Spending time at the Lighthouse and helping with exhibit projects at the Carnegie are his favorite things to do!

Lauren Nelson
Fort Gratiot Light Station & Museum Store Manager
Hometown: Homer, MI
Lauren loves the opportunity to learn something new every day, and share her passion for history with visitors. Her favorite artifact is some of the silver from the Eastland at the Carnegie Center, and when not being a lighthouse keeper, she can usually be found curled up with a cat and a good book.

Dave Dazer
Thomas Edison Depot Site Manager
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Dave loves all of the twists and turns of history, and sees it as a real soap opera, complete with heroes and villains. His real passion is the entire Edison Depot. Growing up just a few blocks away, he was always amazed by the facts that one of the most famous people in world history grew up in the same neighborhood. When not at work, he can usually be found restoring antique phonographs, especially Edison models.

Caden Barrett
Fort Gratiot Light Station Assistant Site Manager
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Caden was born and raised in Port Huron and attended Saginaw Valley State University, where he graduated in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in history. Using his passion and knowledge of history, Caden started at PHM in April of 2024. For him, it has been special learning more about the history of our town, and meeting so many great people in our community. He enjoys being at the Lighthouse during the Michigan summers, and learning a lot of the behind-the-scenes museum work in the off-season. In his free time, he is an avid hockey fan and a diehard supporter of the Detroit Red Wings. He also enjoy golf, cars, and movies.

Emily Reitzel
Curator of Collections & Exhibits
Hometown: Clinton Township, MI
Emily started at the PHM as a volunteer while working toward her Masters in Library & Information Science with a focus in Archival Administration at Wayne State University - and she never left! She loves working at the museums because preserving and sharing history with the community is her passion in life. Whether it is behind the scenes caring for our extensive collection of artifacts or working on creating the next exciting exhibit to share with our visitors, Emily is thrilled she gets to do this every single day. Outside of work, she spends most of her time with her face in a book, cooking, snuggling up with her corgi puppy, or playing Dungeons & Dragons with her friends.

Caitlyn Rodegeb
HR & Membership Manager
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Caitlyn has helped to educate thousands of students through school programs over the years at the museum. She enjoys working with the kids as they come through on pioneer days, doing everything from candle dipping to pasta shell car assembly. It’s no surprise she loves the 1850 Kammer cabin. At home, she likes spending time with family, crocheting, reading, and her special bird babies.

Jerry Rome
HURON Lightship Site Lead
Hometown: Marysville, MI
Jerry’s passion is the Lightship Huron. He loves all of the artifacts on board, and getting to share his passion with others, especially his dedicated group of volunteers.

Chamira Young
Marketing Manager
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Chamira has a keen eye and a passion for digital marketing design! With a background in photography, art and design, she looks forward to supporting the Museum in its mission! Her passions include outdoor excursions, sushi, and good coffee!

Lisa Jo Struyk
Education & Program Coordinator Assistant and Visitor Services Representative
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Lisa leads some our wonderful workshops and has a passion for creating wonderful art!

Sara May
Fund Development Specialist
Hometown: Port Huron
Sara joined the museum team in 2023 bringing 23 years of fundraising experience in the Blue Water area. Her dedication, experience, and community relationships help make the museum’s events, programs, and fundraisers a financial success. Sara enjoys the museum atmosphere, energy, and dedication of her fellow co-workers. Preserving our local history and culture is a responsibility and honor and she is proud to represent the museums and all they have to offer. Outside of the museum, Sara’s life revolves around her large and very close family, enjoying her grandchildren, walking her black lab, reading, entertaining, traveling, serving on several boards in the community, and working in her extensive gardens in warm months.

Ian David
Visitor Services Representative
Hometown: Port Huron, MI
Ian supports the site managers at all sites, dabbles in educational programming, and now is focusing on a major IT project to help make the historic sites more accessible!
