Our Staff

Over the years, The Bay School and Art Speaks Gallery have grown and thrived in the Mathews community, and our staff is fortunate to receive the support of the many volunteers, teachers, artists, and community members as we work to continue building an educational and creative resource for all to enjoy.

Our dedicated staff welcome you to stop by for a gallery visit, enroll in one of our many classes, or attend an event.  We look forward to meeting you!

Pam Doss
Executive Director
pamdoss@bayschool-arts.com

Pam was hired in December 2013 as the Artistic Director. She has a BA in Art and a minor in Art History and Criticism from the University of Texas San Antonio, with supporting coursework in Art Education and Art Therapy from the University of New Mexico.

She served in the U.S. Air Force for eight years before completing her degree and entering the Arts Administration field. She then worked in various roles at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, focusing on youth outreach programs and adult arts education.

Upon moving to Gloucester in 2011, she served as the volunteer Curator and Education Director at Gloucester Arts on Main before joining The Bay School staff in December 2013 as Artistic Director. She became Executive Director in May 2016.

Pam has been involved in many regional community and economic development initiatives, including the River to Bay Artisan Trail, the Middle Peninsula Alliance, the Gloucester County Chamber of Commerce, the Mathews Main Street Association, and the Made in Mathews Open Studio Tour. She has managed, curated, and judged many shows and festivals, including serving as judge for the 2021 Arts in the Middle Fine Art Festival and the 2024 national juried exhibition, "From My Perspective", at the Virginia Beach Art Center.

She dabbles in many artistic media, and her passion is ceramics, specifically raku and other alternative firing methods. While unlikely to ever pursue an art-making career herself, she finds great satisfaction in helping other artists achieve personal and professional artistic goals, while sharing the magic of art. Every day, Pam demonstrates her firm belief that art can be a uniting and strengthening force in a community.

Grace Small
Operations Manager
gracesmall@bayschool-arts.com

Grace earned her BS in Business Management from Christopher Newport University in 1990 and proceeded to work in management positions for a variety of industries, including food services, mail order, and real estate law. In 2006, a close friend and previous director of The Bay School convinced Grace to quit her job and come work for our organization. She’s never regretted that decision, saying, “I like being around creative people. They are here because they want to be and that makes them happy, which makes The Bay School a great place to work.”

Grace and her husband Pete live in Dutton, Virginia with two cats. She enjoys the “Rivah” life and loves to relax by the water.

Virginia Coyle
Staff Artist
vcoyle@bayschool-arts.com

Growing up, Viriginia always had a paint brush or crayons in hand and was the kid in class found doodling in the margins of her paper. Although she works in various media, her favorite is a combination of acrylic, watercolor, and alcohol ink. Her Folk Art style themes are often compared to Grandma Moses. Recently, she got her dream studio and is focused on becoming a full-time artist.

Virginia has been at The Bay School for many years as part-time support and works in the gallery and teaches in the outreach programs, as well as classes for adults and children. She and her husband have two grown children and she is raising her granddaughters to follow in her artistic footsteps. Virginia has been interested in art all of her life and sells her work at The Bay School and other galleries.

Jennifer Schroeder
Gallery Coordinator
jenschroeder@bayschool-arts.com

Jennifer began her association with The Bay School over 15 years ago as an exhibiting artist and a little later as an instructor. In 2019, she began a totally new relationship with The Bay School when she began working as the Gallery Coordinator. Jennifer affirms, “I have always felt that The Bay School was a wonderfully creative place to be. . .We are so lucky to have this incredible resource in our community where we can find and make art! I feel doubly lucky now that I get to work here.”

Jennifer enjoys painting animals on jewelry, glassware, and hanging art. She is a current gallery artist, vends at shows, and ships her art all over the US to people that love their pets. Jennifer lives in Mathews with her husband Mike, daughter Adelle and 5 dogs. In her free time she shows her dogs on the weekends and enjoys camping with her family.

Davida Hall
Outreach Coordinator
outreach@bayschool-arts.com

Davida was a national board-certified elementary school art teacher with Prince Georges County, Maryland for 17 years and holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland and a graduate degree in Art Education from Towson University. Upon retirement, she and her husband moved to Gloucester, where she became involved with The Bay School, teaching outreach art classes with special education programs, the YMCA, Active Lifestyle Center, public schools, and Montessori.

Her interests include basket making, weaving, and photography. She also is an avid border collie lover, currently has three dogs and has volunteered with the Gloucester/Mathews Humane Society and Glen Highland, a rescue for senior border collies. 

Anne Atkinson
Staff Artist
bayschoolartswithanne@bayschool-arts.com

Anne Atkinson has been creating art since she was a toddler.

She is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned a fine arts degree in Technical Theatre with a concentration in Set Design and Scenic Painting. For many years, Anne painted theatrical scenery in Richmond, Virginia and also operated a decorative painting company executing murals and specialty finishes in Washington, D.C. and in Richmond.

Anne has taught at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, and for various local schools. Teaching art to students of all ages is a great passion of hers, and it shows in her teaching approach and interaction with her students.

Tamera Myer-Mams
Marketing Coordinator
marketing@bayschool-arts.com

In 2015 after almost 30 years in Colorado, Tamera moved back to her home state of Virginia and settled in Gloucester on a small homestead with her 130-pound “puppy” Rory and her two cats Isabella and De’Medici.

Trained as a fine artist, she earned a BFA from the University of Notre Dame in Studio Art and an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Photography. In addition to owning her own communications marketing and design firm for 17 years, she has worked as an illustrator and photographer, in strategic and communications marketing for various professional services firms, and taught a variety of art and design classes at the university level. In Denver, she also enjoyed teaching with various community non-profits focused on involving at-risk youth in creative after-school programs and served on the Board of the Colorado Alliance for Arts Education.

In addition to pursuing her own creative writing and visual arts projects, Tamera is an avid hiker and tent camper. She also loves gardening and tackling home improvement projects at her homestead.

As a recent addition to The Bay School staff, Tamera is excited to apply her marketing and design skills in service to an arts organization whose mission and vision “aligns with her heart.”

Peggy Shifflett
Pottery Studio Technician
pottery@bayschool-arts.com

Peggy has been a painter all her life, stained glass artist for ten years, and a potter since 2016. Her recent work incorporates her painting into her ceramic and sculptural pieces. In addition to being a very active volunteer at The Bay School, she serves as a Pottery Studio Technician, sharing her creative insights and skills with our students and artists.

Peggy began her art career in billboard design for ad campaigns, attended TAD Tech for drafting, and was the graphic designer/draftsperson for the City of Richmond for 15 years. After retiring in 2022, she discovered The Bay School. Showing her enthusiasm, Peggy says, “The Bay School feels like it is my “home.” I enjoy every minute of my time here and hope to continue for many years!”

Adelle Hudgins
Gallery Assistant

Adelle is Jennifer’s daughter and a senior at Mathews High School where she plays soccer and runs cross-country. She works Saturdays year-round as needed, assisting with gallery, classroom, office, and cleaning tasks. She also assists with various summer camps.

Soon to graduate, Adelle will be attending Virginia Commonwealth University where she intends to study interior design.