CEO Roundtable Facilitators

#AAM2022 CEO Roundtables

The CEO and Directors Roundtable at the 2022 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo is a peer-to-peer exchange of informal conversations by and for museum directors on hot topics of interest.

2022 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo
CEO & Directors Roundtables

Friday, May 20 | 3-5pm ET | Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

The CEO and Directors Roundtable at the 2022 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo is a peer-to-peer exchange of informal conversations by and for museum directors on hot topics of interest and projects that can be informed by perspectives from other museum leaders. Attendance is limited to museum chief executive officers                                         

Table 1                                                                     

3:00-4:00 PM    Crisis Management and Communications: Preparing Your Cultural Organization for Emergencies and Disasters
Is your museum or cultural institution prepared for a crisis or disaster? Join a discussion about what you need to know, proactive steps you can implement to mitigate risk, and tips on how to respond in the aftermath of a crisis. Moderator: Beth Weigel, PhD, Museum Director, Juneau-Douglas City Museum, AK

4:00-5:00 PM    As We Emerge, Should We Merge?

As museums reset following the devastation of the pandemic, considerations about operations and institutional impact become more important. Can impact be increased by merging with another organization? This isn’t just a financial consideration, but an opportunity to broaden scope and effectiveness. Moderator: Christy Coleman, Executive Director, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Williamsburg, VA

Table 2                                                       

3:00-4:00 PM    Hiring Professionals of Color: How Do We Make This a Priority vs a Barrier?

This roundtable will discuss the importance of hiring professionals of color as we learn the hard lessons from the convergence of intersecting pandemics of racial injustice and COVID-19 on our field. We aspire to create a brave space for dialogue to help us frame this effort as a priority versus a barrier. Moderator: Omar Eaton-Martínez, Assistant Division Chief, Prince George’s County Historical Resources and Historical House Museums, Upper Marlboro, MD

4:00-5:00 PM    Museum Leadership @TheNextGeneration

This roundtable will discuss generational divides and perspectives in a museum’s organization. How do we create a workplace with equitable labor relations? How can CEOs and directors compassionately learn from the next generation of emerging leaders in order to stay relevant and to create strategic succession plans, while respecting institutional history and the expertise of seasoned employees? Moderator: Jordana Pomeroy, PhD, Director, Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum FIU, Miami, FL

Table 3                                                       

3:00-4:00 PM    Constructing, Expanding, or Renovating A Museum: What, How, and Why Now?

Now is a particularly challenging time for constructing, expanding, or renovating museum facilities. Whether you are in the planning stages, in the middle of construction, or about to open a new or expanded museum, bring your questions, share information, and support one another. Moderator: Juliette Bianco, Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Endowed Director, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC

4:00-5:00 PM    Museums and the Urgency of Climate Change

At the United Nations-sponsored Climate Change conference in Glasgow in November 2021, the US renewed its pledge to cut carbon emissions in half by 2030. This conversation will focus on some steps museum leaders and their institutions can take to aggressively address climate change, inspire their communities to follow their lead, and serve as active civic partners to ensure the US meet its global commitment. Moderator: Richard V. Piacentini, President & CEO, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburg, PA

Table 4                                                       

3:00-4:00 PM    Museums as Community and Public Assets

During the global pandemic, we witnessed a proliferation of community needs that drew greater attention to and greater demands for the museum’s roles and responsibilities as a community and public asset. This conversation will provide an opportunity to share opportunities and challenges that emerged, exemplary practices, and how museums can be meaningful partners and continue to advance the general wellbeing of their communities. Moderator: Lisa Lee, PhD, Director, National Public Housing Museum, Chicago, IL

4:00-5:00 PM    Optimizing Community Partnerships in Small Museums

Small museums depend on partnerships with local communities for memberships, store revenues, and attendance at educational programming. From selling local products in museum stores to finding local experts to lead inclusive programs, this roundtable will discuss successful strategies to engage communities with their small history museums. Moderator: Mary Beth Timm, Director, Lost City Museum, Overton, NV                                               

Table 5                                                                     

3:00-4:00 PM    Strategic Planning Beyond the Pandemic

While organizations have become more attentive to strategy since the onset of the pandemic, strategic planning has long been a foundational element of institutional success. It enables each organization to look beyond day-to-day activity, navigate uncertainty and disruption, and move towards an ambitious-yet-achievable vision. From this discussion, attendees will learn techniques to confidently steer their organizations towards an inspiring and sustainable future. Moderator: Chevy Humphrey, President and CEO, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL

4:00-5:00 PM    Communicating the Social Impact of Museums

Inspired by John Falk’s research on museum social value and impact and articulated in his recently published book The Public Value of Museums, this roundtable discussion will explore ideas on monetizing the societal value of museums, as well as brainstorming ways to communicate their value to stakeholders. Moderator: Trevor Jones, Director and CEO, History Nebraska, Lincoln, NE

Table 6                                                                    

3:00-4:00 PM    Effective Board Development and Engagement

This roundtable will explore building and sustaining an engaged, forward-thinking board that advances organizational priorities while also fostering a productive and collaborative partnership with the CEO/executive director. Moderator: Karol Wight, PhD, President and Executive Director, The Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY

4:00-5:00 PM    Succession Planning: Setting the Table

This roundtable will explore strategies for designing and implementing successful transitions from emerging professionals, middle management, to senior management. Succession planning happens at all these levels and thoughtful policies, strategies, and leadership results in a healthy organization that thrives through change. Moderator: Julie Stein, PhD, Retired Executive Director, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA

Table 7                                                                    

3:00-4:00 PM    Museums and Digital Readiness

The COVID-19 pandemic caused intermittent closures of museum physical spaces which elevated the importance of digital platforms to continue engaging and serving visitors through virtual exhibitions, programs and experiences, as well as alternative strategies to secure funding. This conversation will offer insight on developing a comprehensive digital strategy and what can be learned from a digital audit to assess such areas as infrastructure, determining priorities, and distributed labor needs to maximize operational effectiveness and cost efficiencies. Moderator: William Harris, President and Chief Executive Officer, Space Center Houston, Houston, TX

4:00-5:00 PM    Business of the Unusual: New Approaches to Business Models

This roundtable will explore new approaches to business models that promote financial and organizational wellness in an ever-changing environment of global health and social crisis. Moderator: Norman Burns, President & CEO, Conner Prairie, Fishers, IN       

Table 8                                                       

3:00-4:00 PM    Organizational Transformation from the Inside-Out: Setting the Table for the Long Game

Transformational change takes time, which requires staying the course, especially when the going gets tough. Join us for thoughtful discussion about how you, as a CEO, can create the conditions necessary to leverage the ups and weather the downs, inherent in any institutional change process. Moderator: Micah Parzen, PhD, JD, Chief Executive Officer, Museum of Us, San Diego, CA        

4:00-5:00 PM    Letting Go for Rapid Response 

There are times when institutional and professional standards must be rethought or suspended for a greater obligation to serve the public. This roundtable will explore letting go of long-held professional notions of museum responsibilities and procedures that may be weighing us down when we need to be nimble. Moderator: Carol Ghiorsi Hart, Director, Greensboro History Museum, Greensboro, NC

Table 9             

3:00-5:00 PM    What’s On Your Mind? Gather your colleagues and initiate a conversation of your choice.