New Andrew County Museum director excited for future

By: Darren Doyle

SAVANNAH, Mo. (KQTV) — Following the retirement of longtime museum director Jan Glenn, the Andrew County Museum recently announced the appointment of Katie Fields as its new director.

Fields has lived in Andrew County for some time through her upbringing, and then returned after marrying another Andrew County resident. Her family is now living near Empire Prairie in the county.

Fields said she has a deep respect for history, earning her degree in Geography with a minor in Geology from nearby Northwest Missouri State University. She spent some time working for a company developing maps for GPS systems, then worked for the USDA and later took a few years as a stay-at-home mother.

When Fields decided to reenter the workforce, she worked as an administrative assistant at the museum before leaving to help with a family business.

Both Andrew County and the Museum were calling her back.

The end of 2025 saw the retirement of longtime Andrew County Director Jan Glenn.

At the end of Glenn’s tenure, Fields was asked to return and assume the role of director, leveraging her knowledge, experience and expertise in the area.

Through not only loving and preserving the history of the past, Fields knows the power the museum holds to teach the future.

“When my kids were young, we came to some programs here, and we came to free museum day here at the Andrew County Museum,” Fields said. “It’s really the hidden gem of Andrew County. There is so much history that people don’t even know about. If they came and visit the museum, they would learn so much and be so surprised about the things that have happened here”.

Fields plans to keep what feels familiar to the museum within the community, while doing what she can to ensure a bright future.

“I just feel like I’ve kind of learned from her what to do to make programs interesting for the community and for the museum members, and I want to continue what she’s already built, and then can make my own mark too,” Fields said. “(I want to) continue to do some different programming, do some different things, maybe to attract visitors. So I just want to keep what Jan’s already done and just build upon that”.

With multiple events already planned at the Andrew County Museum, Fields said there’s always a reason to come check out the great, surprising and familiar history in the area.

“(When) somebody is here, we’ll be glad to tell you the stories that we know as well. It’d be a great family outing that’s inexpensive. There’s a park across the street, play at the park when the weather’s nice, and plenty of restaurants to go eat at in Savannah,” Fields said. “Come to the museum and see what we have to offer.”

The next event to be hosted at the museum, located at 202 East Duncan Drive, will be a President’s Day talk with a history professional named “Tragedy Strikes the White House”.

For more information on the museum, click here.