CEO Roundtable Facilitators

AAM 2026 CEO Roundtable Programming

The CEO Roundtable at AAM 2026 is a peer-to-peer exchange created by and for museum CEOs and Executive Directors.

AAM is currently inviting museum directors to serve as roundtable conversation facilitators on a topic of their choice. Below is a list of possible conversation topics, but other topics are welcome. Museum CEOs interested in serving as conversation facilitators should submit a two or three-sentence description of the topic (not exceeding 125 words) and a topic title (not exceeding 10 words) to John Wetenhall at jwetenhall@gwu.edu no later than Friday, March 13.  But please don’t delay—priority will be given to early submissions.

Note: all conversations take place at roundtables holding about 10 people each. Facilitators are expected to introduce their topics and moderate discussion, but A/V will not be available and no formal presentations are expected.

---

Round 1: 3:00-4:00 pm

The First 100 Days: Lessons and Strategies for New Museum CEOs

Stepping into a museum CEO or Executive Director role requires balancing institutional legacy with the urgency of shaping a future vision. This roundtable invites leaders new to their roles to share early lessons, unexpected challenges, and strategies for building trust with staff, boards, and communities. Through candid peer exchange, participants will explore what effective listening, culture-setting, and decision-making look like during the first year. The goal is to foster a supportive cohort of leaders who can learn from one another while navigating the complexities of leading museums today.

Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, Executive Director, Woodlawn & Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, Alexandra, VA

Financial Sustainability: Budgets as Mission Drivers

Financial management and mission-oriented conversations are often separated, leading to a disconnect between museum departments and how they report to their governing board. Learn how the budget process can be leveraged as a mission-driven tool to better inform board governance, inter-departmental communications, and institutional direction. This roundtable also provides an opportunity to discuss your institution’s budget challenges and consider new approaches to a more inclusive, decisive, and strategic budget process.

Rebekah Beaulieu, Louise Taft Semple President & CEO, Taft Museum of Art , OH

Leading Legacy Institutions as a Millennial Director

Millennial museum directors are increasingly stepping into leadership roles at historic institutions with entrenched cultures, aging boards, and evolving audiences. This roundtable will explore strategies for navigating generational divides, build donor confidence, shift institutional narratives, and lead transformational change while avoiding burnout.

Maggie McKenna,Executive Director, Frederic Remington Art Museum, Ogdensburg, NY

Mining the Potential of AI to Meet the Real Needs of Small Museums

Small museums are the backbone of our communities, entrusted with collections rich in

cultural histories yet often operated by volunteers and small staffs. AASLH’s 2022 survey found that 80% of private nonprofit history and art organizations operate on annual revenues under $200,000, leaving small museums with limited resources to care for collections and advance their missions. How can artificial intelligence streamline operations and free scarce staff time, allowing staff to focus on creating meaningful, mission-centric impact? This roundtable will explore ethical ways AI might address these challenges.

Kerrie Bellisario, Executive Director, Haan Museum of Indiana Art, Lafayette, IN

Artificial Intelligence in the Service of Encyclopedic Museums

How can encyclopedic museums take stock of AI and work with it rather than resist or ignore it? AI is developing rapidly, with institutions adopting some tools while resisting others. It can serve diverse functions across different departments, touching on efficiencies, database management, security, privacy, legal issues, curation, interpretation, and creativity—while raising questions about the boundaries and ethics of AI intervention. At this juncture, there are many ideas but no clear paths. This roundtable offers space to candidly share experiences, fears, and hopes and work through these challenges together.

Julián Zugazagoitia, Director & CEO, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, KN

Government-Run Museums: A Peer-to-Peer Exchange

Government-run museums face distinct challenges and opportunities. This roundtable gives directors from government-run museums (and other embedded institutions such as academic and corporate museums) a forum to compare experiences in a candid setting. Discussion topics may include motivating politically-appointed board members, advocating without lobbying, navigating cumbersome government procurement systems, and convincing local taxpayers—who may feel they already pay your salary—to donate to your museum.  Join fellow leaders to discuss strategies for sustaining and strengthening government-run institutions.

Karen Stone, Director, St. Mary’s County Museum Division, St. Mary’s County Government, MD

Directing a University Art Museum: Navigating Mission, Academia, and Student Communities

College and university art museums operate within complex academic ecosystems that shape everything from governance and funding to curricular integration. This roundtable explores how directors balance institutional expectations with the museum’s distinct mission, while leveraging campus partnerships to enhance teaching, research, and student engagement. Participants will discuss strategies for navigating unique challenges and seizing opportunities within a higher-education environment.

Cindi Malinick, Executive Director, The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, AL

Capital Campaigns and Harnessing the Power of Volunteer Leadership

A capital campaign is one of the most challenging elements of an ED’s or CEO’s tenure.  Challenges and opportunities increase when relying on volunteers. How do you know when it’s time to go public?  What are practical strategies for ensuring success? Hear the wisdom of peers and candid reflections about the triumphs and setbacks of leading a capital campaign while harnessing the power of volunteer leadership and connecting with your community.

Bill Lawrence, President & CEO, San Diego History Center, CA

From Rhetoric to Reality—Operationalizing DEAI in Museums

We talk frequently about DEAI—but how do we actually do it? This candid roundtable invites museum directors into a practical conversation about moving from theory to implementation. What structural changes, staffing models, operating standards, and governance commitments embed equity into daily operations? What is the point of saying “all are welcome” if entrances aren’t accessible, docents lack cultural literacy training, or language access is overlooked? How are larger initiatives undermined when everyday systems fail to align? Together, we’ll examine strategies that make equity operational—not just aspirational.

Paul Baker Prindle, The Gabriele Haberland Director, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, WI

Big Bets: Using One Bold Project to Drive Museum Momentum

What happens when a museum aligns fundraising, programming, partnerships, and board engagement around one ambitious idea? Using the Putnam Museum’s community-led dinosaur excavation and upcoming exhibit as a catalyst, this roundtable examines essentials like strengthening donor relationships, activating board leadership, expanding partnerships, and generating public excitement. Participants will discuss how identifying and investing in a mission-driven “big bet” can unify departments, inspire supporters, and build financial sustainability—with practical strategies for translating one compelling project into long-term institutional impact.

Cindy Diehl Yang, President & CEO, Putnam Museum and Science Center, Davenport, IA

The Silent Burden: A Roundtable on Executive Loneliness

Museum directors face a unique paradox: they are constantly surrounded by stakeholders, yet often feel entirely alone. Because boundaries between the board, staff, and family limit where leaders can find true psychological safety, executive isolation is an occupational hazard that can lead to burnout and diminished vision. This roundtable is a confidential, safe-space session. Participants will discuss the necessity of finding external avenues for support—not just for the director’s well-being, but for the health of the institution itself. Together we will share practical strategies for building peer communities, venting safely, and ensuring that the weight of the office does not compromise personal wellbeing or leadership effectiveness.

Bob Burns, Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury, CT

Round 2: 4:00-5:00 pm

Memory as Resilience and Resistance: Museums, Democracy, and Strengthening the Civic Space

Continuing a conversation from a previous session, this roundtable further explores how museums are embracing their role as civic actors—committing to practices that both honor the past and equip communities to meet present challenges. Participants will exchange experiences and ideas about how museums can meet this moment and draw strength through collective action and mutual support.

Ann Burroughs, President & CEO, Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, CA and Lori Fogarty, Director and CEO, Oakland Museum of California

Implementing AI in Museums

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how cultural institutions engage audiences, manage collections, and support internal operations. This CEO roundtable explores practical strategies for introducing AI in museums—from governance and policy to pilot projects that deliver measurable value while safeguarding institutional trust and mission. Participants will share experiences, challenges, and emerging opportunities for responsibly integrating AI into museum leadership and strategy.

Nik Honeysett, Chief Executive Officer, Balboa Park Online Collaborative, San Diego, CA

Expansion for Small Museums

When and why should a small museum expand? This roundtable provides a forum to discuss the opportunities and challenges in small museum expansion, including long-term planning, mission fulfillment, assessing community demand, securing resources, design and construction, building excitement for openings, and other essential considerations.

Tracie Liberatore, Executive Director/CEO, Bradford House Historical Association, Washington, PA

What’s Next for You? Issues for Mid-Career Directors 

In the quiet moments after a successful event—or a stressful interaction—do you sometimes wonder if it may be time to move on? Mid-career professionals balancing sandwich-generation caregiving, a tumultuous economy, and the complex needs of our institutions, often neglect personal strategic planning. This roundtable invites discussion on the forces shaping these decisions and strategies for preparing for the next stage of your career.

Tiffany Baker, Director, Florida Historic Capitol Museum, Tallahassee, FL

Continuity vs. Change: Fostering Thoughtful Governance After a Long-Standing Leader Departs

Museums are often led by people who occupy their roles for many years, sometimes decades. How does a new leader thoughtfully assess their museum’s landscape and transition gracefully after a founder, long-serving, or long-tenured leader moves on? How does the new director balance necessary changes with legacy procedures and mindsets?  How can one respectfully acknowledge the previous leader’s strengths and challenges while establishing a distinct leadership identity at the institution?  This discussion encourages open dialogue about navigating challenging transitions, and bringing staff, board, and bringing supporters along during leadership change.

Ellen Owens, Executive Director, American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD

Values vs. Reality: Building Museum Culture That Actually Works

Museums often articulate strong institutional values, yet translating those values into everyday organizational culture can be far more complex. This conversation explores how museum leaders can align their mission with internal practices, including recruitment, retention, cross-generational collaboration, and professional development. Additionally, participants will share strategies for cultivating transparent communication, sustaining diverse teams, and strengthening organizational trust.

Zora Carrier, Director, Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Midwestern State University, Texas

Navigating the Digital Frontier: Leveraging Technology in Museums

Technology is reshaping every dimension of museum work, from collections management and audience engagement to institutional strategy. This roundtable invites directors to share what works, what doesn’t, and how institutions are building infrastructure, governance, and digital fluency to keep pace. Topics may include AI, immersive experiences, data management, and social media strategy, with an emphasis on practical lessons and unresolved questions.

Mark Tullos, Executive Director, LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA

The Long Game: Museums, Moral Urgency, and the Cost of Now

Museums are designed for continuity and intergenerational responsibility — but they are also meant to serve the communities of today. The growing expectation that cultural organizations take sides in fast-moving political and social disputes creates tension: institutions designed to last are being asked to do work they may be philosophically (and structurally) ill-suited to perform. This roundtable examines the moral and strategic tensions museum leaders face in balancing responsiveness to current communities with the preservation of long-term institutional purpose, and asks a deceptively simple question: what do we risk when institutional credibility becomes currency spent on present-moment battles?

Antone (Tony) Pierucci, Executive Director, Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Easton, PA

Leading through Institutional Change   

This roundtable explores strategies for guiding museums through periods of institutional change, from leadership transitions to mission realignment and structural growth. Participants will share experiences balancing tradition with innovation, fostering staff engagement, and maintaining public trust during transformation.  The session invites dialogue on how transparency, communication, and vision can sustain a museum’s identity while evolving to meet new challenges. 

Amy F. Bartow-Melia, Executive Director, South Carolina State Museum, Columbia

Governance that Works: Strategic Planning, Board Leadership, and Organizational Culture

Strategic planning is a governance function shaped by board culture and the strength of the Executive Director–Board relationship. Too often, however, strategic planning is treated as a discrete project—a document to be written, approved, and filed—rather than an ongoing governance responsibility. Effective strategy requires integrating strategic planning, board development, and leadership culture into a cohesive governance framework.

Attendees will leave with a governance perspective that moves beyond compliance toward sustainable, mission-driven leadership.

Billye Chabot, Executive Director, Seward House Museum, Auburn, NY