MUSEUM BOARDS: A Blessing or a Curse?
In this MUSEUMS AND CHANGE session, Andrea Durham and Greg DeFrancis will lead a discussion about boards starting with: What's really our legal obligation to have boards? Why do they exist? How can we as a field ensure that boards support museums in the best possible ways? What support role could field-wide organizations play in enhancing board effectiveness? We will pose some questions to each other and to the group to stimulate conversation about these and other aspects of boards. Discussion will focus on how boards can serve organizations in a way that advances the mission and increases effectiveness. Come prepared to share your perspective, think broadly about how board structure and function could change for the better, and what works well that we can all learn from.
Andrea Durham brings a wide range of leadership and board experiences from her 30 years at four museums. She has held many positions at the Museum of Science, Boston including leading the exhibits department and the museum's master planning and founding director of the NISENet. She also served as VP of exhibits, evaluation, theatres, and facilities at Science World in Vancouver BC; Chief Officer for Science and Education at the St. Louis Science Center; and Executive Director of the Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) in Sacramento.
Greg DeFrancis has led teams and worked extensively with boards throughout his 30 years of museum and non-profit work: as Director of Education at the Montshire Museum, Director of Engagement and Cambridge Science Festival at the MIT Museum, co-Executive Director at the American Precision Museum, and now Executive Director at a small nonprofit focusing on rural youth wellness in Vermont.
We are both passionate about leading teams and working with boards to make a difference in our communities by creating inclusive, welcoming and impactful learning experiences and we look forward to facilitating this discussion!