Executive Director’s Notes Zinnia Willits

semc executive director’s notes

Dear SEMC:

This is a remarkably busy and exciting time of change and growth for SEMC! Throughout the coming year, SEMC will continue to offer monthly virtual programs and professional development on topics ranging from technology to virtual engagement to accessibility in museums. We are actively working to strengthen existing partnerships and form new ones, including the recent productive “Launchpad” collaboration with the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries that was geared toward our student populations and emerging museum professionals. Other active initiatives on the 2022 agenda include building the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) instructor cohort in preparation for JIMI 2023 and opening the application period for next JIMI class.

Just this past week we accomplished a successful in-person launch of the 2022 Leadership Institute and of course we are working extremely hard on designing a dynamic SEMC2022 later this fall. After a year of experimentation with hybrid events, we are planning for SEMC2022 to return to an in-person gathering in October 2022 at the Embassy Suites and Convention Center in Northwest Arkansas. Registration will be open very soon. While sessions will be on-site, we plan to offer live stream access to the 2022 Keynote Address and Award Recipient Roundtable and have encouraged panels to include virtual presenters in sessions. While we are hopeful for return to a fully in-person annual meeting, the safety of SEMC members will remain a top priority. If circumstances dictate, we know how to transition the conference to a fully virtual format. In the meantime, SEMC will continue to provide free, yearround programming for our members.

Although pandemic uncertainties continue to be ever-present in 2022, as an organization we now have real experience with the adjustments needed to manage events, professional networking, learning and engagement during an event such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and are already on our way to a productive, strategic, engaged year. Generous funding from

the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, the National Museum of African American History and Culture-Office of Strategic Partnership and loyal industry partners helped us through a difficult 2020 and a transitional 2021, providing critical support to move the organization toward a sustainable future. SEMC is profoundly grateful for our partnerships and will continue to work hard to strategize and enact action steps that will benefit all SEMC members and strengthen museums and museum professionals in the southeast through education, creative collaborations that broaden narratives and connect organizations to diverse communities. Continue to stay strong, SEMC. The past two years have changed our course, but we have continued to move forward. Onward!

Respectfully, — Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director