Over the past eight years, I have had an opportunity to get to know the American museum field, A to Z – art museums to zoos. And, 46 states, 600,000 miles and 500 museums later, I can honestly say that it has been a privilege to lead this tremendous organization – and the dynamic museum field – in support of the cause of museums.
I am extremely grateful to you for your support – for your membership, for welcoming me to your museums as I traveled the country and for your efforts to pursue excellence. Your steadfast commitment to the Alliance has allowed us to make needed investments in the Center for the Future of Museums, in our revitalized advocacy program, and in our efforts to make accreditation more meaningful and more achievable. We simply could not have done these things without you and I hope the Alliance will be able to count on your ongoing support.
My time at AAM has allowed me to understand just how important museums are to our communities. If you name a societal problem, I will find you a museum somewhere that is working to address that problem – from aging Americans with cognitive disorders and young people on the autistic spectrum to water quality issues and community design.
There is no limit to the public service of museums, but we must do a better job of telling our story. Specifically, we need to work together to underscore the important societal contributions that museums make, day in and day out. We need our trustees, our visitors, our volunteers and our elected officials joining together to make the case that museums are powerful community assets. But we can’t do this discipline by discipline. We must speak as a field.
I am leaving the Alliance in good hands with current Chief Operating Officer Laura Lott as the incoming president and chief executive officer. She is a talented nonprofit leader, and I know you will enjoy working with her as much as I have over the past five years
Thank you again for your friendship and support.
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