If you've attended the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering at any point over the past 11 years — or if you're a member of the Western Folklife Center — you've likely crossed paths with our colleague Carolyn Trainor. As Membership Director & Development Manager, Carolyn has long been a steady hand behind the scenes, processing memberships, managing our grant-writing process, tracking donations and sponsorships, helping with ticket sales, and handling just about anything else that needed doing, even when it fell well outside her job description duties. In countless ways, she has helped keep both the Folklife Center and the Gathering moving forward over the past decade.
Carolyn joined the Folklife Center staff in December 2015, just a month before the 32nd Gathering. Within her first month, she was already juggling sponsorships and memberships through the busy January lead-up to the event. Once the Gathering began, she moved to the Elko Convention Center, where she managed the membership desk from early morning to late at night. Ever since then, Carolyn has been a constant presence, greeting members and visitors alike with warmth, grace, and a smile.
The busy lobby at the Gathering. Photo by Marla Aufmuth
Carolyn remains deeply devoted to the Folklife Center's mission to "connect the American West to the world through storytelling and cultural expression.” Her work here inspired her to explore her own Mexican heritage and the history of her family's ranch. She learned that her grandmother's and great-aunt's families had pooled their money to purchase a farm from Japanese immigrants who needed funds before being sent to internment camps during World War II.
She wasn’t sure how she felt about this complicated chapter of her family history for a time, but through conversations within the Folklife Center community, she came to see those intertwined histories as part of the larger story of the American West itself — complex, layered, and deeply human. It's a perspective that reflects what she has valued most about her work with us: creating space for stories rooted in lived experience, land, tradition, and the many communities that shape the West.
Carolyn managing the membership desk. Photo by Jessica Brandi Lifland
The Western Folklife Center is stronger because of Carolyn's kindness, dedication, and hard work. While staff, members, and friends alike will miss seeing her each day, we know she will always remain part of the ever-growing Western Folklife Center family. We wish Carolyn well on her hard-earned retirement.
If you are interested in joining the Western Folklife Center as our Philanthropy Operations Manager, we’re interested in hearing more about you! Check out the job description and then email us at jobs@westernfolklife.org. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference for both the Western Folklife Center and the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering.
