The Inquirer and Mirror

November 4, 2007

Maria Mitchell Association hires PR coordinator

Linda Sonnonstine has joined the Maria Mitchell Association as coordinator of public relations and development, executive director Janet Schulte said this week.

Reporting directly to Schulte, Sonnonstine will serve as the primary media contact for the MMA and will be responsible for special event planning and implementation, grant writing and publicity materials, as well as maintenance of the organization’s website and development database.

Her marketing and public relations career spans over 20 years. Prior to moving to Nantucket as a full-time resident earlier this month, she served as director of planning and marketing at the Long Beach Museum of Art in Southern California, where she was responsible for overseeing public relations, marketing, special events, the museum cafe and gift shop. Her consulting career also includes projects and campaigns for nonprofit organizations including the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, Venice Family Clinic, Unitarian Universalist Association and the Los Angeles Conservancy. Her corporate experience includes serving as manager of public and community relations for Simon Property Group. She was also an adjunct professor in the department of communications at Santa Monica College.

Professionally she is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and a member of the American Association of Museums. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education, from Louisiana Tech University and pursued graduate studies in public relations and marketing at California State University-Fullerton, serving as a graduate assistant.

Sonnonstine and her long-time partner Craig Spery attend the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nantucket and are members of the Nantucket Historical Association. Her son Ben is a second-year law student at Whittier College in Southern California. She has been an annual visitor to Nantucket for the past 10 years.