Council
The Council oversees and advises the Board.
Marianne Liggett Merriam, Chair (Daughter of of ex-POW 2nd Lt. Francis Eugene Liggett)
Marianne Merriam is a retired Landscape Architect and Master Gardener. As President, she ran her landscape architectural design firm for 16 years in southern CA. She was a licensed landscape architect in both California and Nevada, working in multiple states in the US, the Caribbean, and China. Her expertise was in commercial and residential housing, mid-rise structures, estates, parks, and urban design projects. As both a proponent and advisor, she made frequent proposals and presentations to city, state, and federal-level governmental agencies. In 2010 she retired and moved to Reno, NV with her husband and their four horses. In Reno, she served as a member, President, Secretary, and Director at Large for the non-profit 501(c)3 Northern Nevada Horsemanship Association. She loves to travel and is active in equestrian and water sports. In September 2019 she was invited to serve on the Artifacts Committee for Friends of Oflag 64 and was an active member in helping gather, research, catalog, and ship artifacts to Szubin, Poland for use in the Szubin POW Camps Museum. In 2023 she joined the Executive Council of the Polish-American Foundation and now serves as Chairman.
Jan Stanisllaus Karcz
Jan Karcz retired after 41 years of service in the United States Government. He served over 14 years in the Intelligence Community at CIA and in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Prior to joining CIA, he served over 26 years in the Army. Jan’s parents were both prisoners of war during World War II. His father served in the French Army and was held at Stalag IV B and his mother was a prisoner at Strafflager VI C after having fought in the Warsaw 1944 Uprising. His paternal grandfather was executed at Auschwitz on Jan 25th, 1943. As a member of the Council, Jan will honor the sacrifices and memories of the prisoners held there, his parents, and grandparents.
Adam Szpaderski
Adam Szpaderski is a professor of management at SWPS University in Warsaw, specializing in strategic management, praxeology, models of museum and memorial site management, management of education about Auschwitz, the Holocaust, and genocides, and parameterization of the effectiveness of cultural heritage institutions. He is the head of the Center for Research on the Economics of Memorial Sites, a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), as well as the chief consultant to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim in the field of strategy and education management, chairman of the Gross-Rosen Museum Council in Rogoźnica, advisor on educational strategy for the Stutthof Museum in Sztutowo, chief consultant on strategy and education management for the Central Museum of Prisoners of War, chairman of the Consortium Council – “League of POW Rememberance” Network, manager and implementer of research projects, member of scientific societies dealing with economics, management, and culture, and winner of many awards, including the “Guardian of National Memorial Sites” Medal, the “Meritorious for Polish Culture” Honorary Badge, the 75 Years of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site Medal, and the Pawiak Prison Museum Medal. Since December 2024, he has been the deputy editor-in-chief of the annual publication “Muzealnictwo” (Museology).
Robert Taylor Thompson, Jr. (Son of ex-POW 1st Lt. Robert T. Thompson)
Robert Thompson is a registered professional engineer, with 35 years experience in the water infrastructure domestic and international market sector. He has served in various operations and technology development roles, including Global Technology Leader for general industrials and Global Solutions Director for industrial water with his current employer. Robert holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University and a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Cindy Sharpe Burgess (Daughter of ex-POW 2nd Lt. Wilbur Blaine Sharpe, Jr.)
A military spouse and former educator, Cindy is a Past President of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Assistance League® and served on their national Board of Directors. Cindy received a BS in Education from the University of Maryland.
