Micah Hetherington is now our Program and Research Coordinator

We’re pleased to share that Micah Hetherington will be joining Friends of Minidoka full-time as our Program and Research Coordinator beginning May 1.

Micah has been an integral part of our team since November 2023, when he was hired as a Graduate Research Fellow to work on splitting his time between our Mellon Foundation funded grant, Beyond the Barbed Wire: Japanese American Stories of the Pacific Northwest, and general programming. During that time, he has contributed to a wide range of projects that have helped advance our mission and deepen our work.

Micah sells books during our 25 Years of Healing and Remembrance event

You’ve likely seen Micah’s impact across several initiatives, including Beyond the Barbed Wire: Resisters of the Pacific Northwest; the publication of Education and Freedom at Minidoka: The Diary of the Superintendent Arthur Kleinkopf; Day of Remembrance presentations; research for the Minidoka song film; research supporting the 2025 Civil Liberties Symposium, and so much more.

Micah running one of our visitor engagement activities in 2025: Ikebana Flower Arranging

Micah has also played a key role behind the scenes — processing and fulfilling orders from our online bookstore, ensuring that these important stories and resources reach readers across the country, plus assisting with interns and site activities, events, and programs.

As Micah completes his graduate studies and finalizes his Capstone project this month, which focuses on the history of LGBTQ+ inmates at the Idaho State Penitentiary, we’re grateful that he will be continuing his work with us in this new capacity. His thoughtfulness, dedication, and care for this history have already made a lasting impact on our organization.

We look forward to all that lies ahead.