AAM Career Café™ 2011

Now in its fourth year, AAM Career Café™ at the Annual Meeting is more relevant than ever! No matter where you are in your career or where you work, AAM Career Café™ has something for you, with sessions, workshops, roundtables and idea lounges covering a range of career development topics.
 
Individual development: “Grow” your career by gaining practical skills in resume writing, interviewing, personal branding, professional writing, having and being a mentor, and more!

Organizational development: Get a better perspective on such critical institution-wide issues as fundraising, communicating with your board, managing conflict, making effective decisions, strategic planning and understanding team dynamics.

Field-wide issues: Join colleagues in Idea Lounges or small-group dinner conversations for lively informal discussions on field-wide issues that are shaping the profession.

New this year!
AAM Career Café™ International:  Get a global perspective on the successes and challenges of working abroad, building cross-cultural competencies, and international museums addressing and adopting standards and best practices.

Deliver Winning Presentations!
Career Café™ will offer four specially designed sessions to help you deliver winning annual meeting presentations:

• Using Active Learning in Your Presentations (Monday, May 23)
• Public Speaking Workshop (Monday, May 23 and Tuesday, May 24)
• Crafting a Great AAM Session Proposal (Wednesday, May 25)
• Creating Effective Presentations (Wednesday, May 25)

For more information about AAM Career Café™ please contact Greg Stevens, gstevens@aam-us.org.

SUNDAY MONDAY  TUESDAY  WEDNESDAY
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SUNDAY, MAY 22

Networking Tips and Strategies
1:15 PM–2:30 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Make the most of your annual meeting experience by learning and practicing valuable, easy-to-use networking techniques. This is a great opportunity to connect with other colleagues at the annual meeting, including mentors and mentees in the AAM Online Mentoring program.
Facilitators: Ann Mintz, Director of Strategy and Development, University City District, Philadelphia; Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Organizational Skills Lab
Are You In Jeopardy? Risk Assessment and Contingency Planning for Arts Organizations
1:15 PM–2:30 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
If you haven’t planned for business interruptions, your organization is in jeopardy! Have you felt the urge to plan ahead for unexpected organizational challenges, but gotten distracted? ArtsReady is a movement to assist your organization with risk assessment and contingency planning without having to hire another person to do it. Join us for ArtsReady Jeopardy where every category has an impact on your bottom line and your ability to keep the doors open. Play the game and learn how to get through your organization’s next crisis situation. We’ll skip the trivia and move straight to the things you’ll be thankful you know when the crisis hits the fan.
Presenter: Mollie Lakin-Hayes, Deputy Director, South Arts, Atlanta, GA

Idea Lounge
Beyond Hands-on!
2:45 PM –4:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
The museum of tomorrow goes beyond hands-on, providing the visitor with phenomenal sensory experiences. In this conversation-driven session, we’ll explore the meaning of immersive, imaginative touch in the museum of the future. Provocateurs: Kiersten Latham, Assistant Professor, Kent State University School of Library & Information Science, Kent Ohio; Elee Wood, Assistant Professor, IUPUI Museum Studies Program, Indianapolis, IN

Idea Lounge
Professional Development through the Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA)
2:45 PM –4:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
The Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA), now in its 52^nd year, is the longest-running professional development seminar in the country and the only one sponsored by six major history and museum organizations.  This Idea Lounge will provide an overview of SHA, offer the graduate perspective on SHA and its impact on careers, and engender affinity among alum in the audience.
Provocateur: Bob Beatty, Vice-president for Programs, American Association for State and Local History, Nashville, TN

Curators: Get Your Network ON!
3:00 PM–4:00 PM
Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
Curators: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field, or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers.  Networking Host: TBD; Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California.

Mentoring Roundtables for Emerging and Mid-Career Professionals
4:15 PM–5:30 PM
Convention Center, Room 322 A/B
Emerging and mid-career professionals-learn from colleagues and mentors in timely discussions about strategizing your career, overcoming workplace challenges, being a leader at any level and communicating persuasively. Table topics TBD.
Facilitators: Wendy Luke, The HR Sage, Washington, DC; Victoria Garvin, Independent Professional, Washington, DC

• Maximizing Your Transferable Skills
  Table moderator: Ann Mintz, Director of Strategy and Development, University City District, Philadelphia
  

• Position Yourself for Your Next Interview
  Table moderator: Martha Bradshaw, Manager of Visitor and Volunteer Services, Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin
  

• Education and Exhibition Professionals Finding Voice
  Table moderators: Carol Bossert, Interpretive Planning, CBServices, Rockville, MD; Darcie Fohrman, Designer, Darcie Fohrman Associates, Monterey, CA
  

• Adaptive Leadership: Fostering a Culture of Creativity, Taking Intelligent Risks
  Table moderator: Judy Gradwohl, Associate Director for Education and Public Programs, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, DC
  

• Changing Jobs: Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Run
  Table moderators: Janice Klein, Consultant, EightSixSix Consulting, Tempe AZ; Diane Gutenkauf, Director, Robert R. McCormick Museum at Catingy, Elmhurst, IL; Ann Barton Brown, Consultant, Ann Barton Brown Company, West Chester, PA
  

• Why Network?
  Table moderator: Monta Lee Dakin, Executive Director, Mountain Plains Museum Association (MPMA), Littleton, CO
  
• Speak for Yourself: Representing Your Program in Institutional Strategic Planning
  Table moderator: Barbara Cohen Stratyner, Curator of Exhibitions, The New York Library for the Performing Arts, New York
  

• Why a Few Business Skills are Good For You
  Table moderator: Thomas Berger, Chief Financial Officer, National Children’s Museum, Washington, DC|
  

• Getting Published in the Museum Field: What/Who to Know
  Table moderator: John Fraser, Director, Institute for Learning Innovation-New York
  

• So You Want to be a Director?
  Table moderators: Diane Frankel, Associate; Linda Sweet, Partner Management Consultants for the Arts, Stamford, CT
  

•  Advancing Your Museum Career – Getting From There to Here
  Table moderator: William Ticknor, Director of Museums, City of Las Cruces, NM

• Turn an Internship into a Job
  Table moderator: Sandra Abbott, Curator of Collections and Outreach, Center for Art, Design, & Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD

Idea Lounges
4:15 PM–5:30 PM

• “Slow Exhibits”
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  Given the rapid-paced and hyper-connected world, are museums responding by creating exhibit spaces and museum environments that do not lend themselves to contemplation and concentration? Let’s consider design resources and environmental cues that reward visitors for slowing down and engaging more carefully with exhibition spaces and objects. Provocateur: Paul Orselli, Chief Instigator, Paul Orselli Workshop (POW!), Baldwin, NY
  
• Museologically Incorrect: Conversations for Contrarians
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  Irrelevance is the new Relevance! This year's conversation will start will challenging the sacred cow of Relevance, and will ask just what museums are supposed to be relevant to. From there we'll move on to take fresh looks at whatever is on your mind.  Provocateur: Jay Rounds, Director, Graduate Program in Museum Studies, University of Missouri, St. Louis
  
• Academic Museums: A Foot in Both Worlds
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  Join colleagues from other academic museums to discuss your roles and the goals of your institution within the educational setting, relate successes and challenges, and connect to other museum professionals operating in an academic parent organization. Provocateur: Lin Nelson-Mayson, Director, Goldstein Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, St. Paul

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MONDAY, MAY 23

Early Bird Specials
7:45 AM–8:50 AM

• Getting Started in Your Career
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  Join an informal conversation to explore the power of professional engagement as a critical tool for success. Identify your strengths, passions, and ways to communicate to make your case and make a difference! Presenter: Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC
• Careers in Transition
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  If you're in between jobs or just looking to get a reality check, join this informal and lively conversation sure to give you a fresh perspective on the employment climate in the museum field today. Facilitators: Ann Barton Brown, Principal, Ann Barton Brown Company, West Chester, PA; Nik Honeysett, Head of Administration, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA; Claudia Ocello, President and CEO, Museum Partners Consulting, Morristown, NJ
• Public Speaking Workshop
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  This popular workshop, led by members of the International Museum Theater Alliance (IMTAL), is for anyone who would like to learn techniques and tips to help overcome some common pitfalls of public speaking. Chair: George Buss, Director of Experience and Education, Minnetrista, Muncie, IN
• Educators and Visitor Specialists: Get Your Network ON!
  Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
  Educators and interpreters, visitor specialists, audience researchers and evaluators, public programmers and exhibit folks: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field, or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers. Networking Host: TBD.  Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California.

Resume Writing for Emerging Professionals
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Gain valuable tips and strategies from experienced colleagues as you work on your own resume–be sure to bring one!
Workshop leaders: Betsy Bowers, Deputy Director of Museum Education, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Washington, DC; Sheetal Prajapati, Assistant Director for Adult Programs, Museum of Modern Art, NY
(Note: in addition to this group workshop, you may sign up for one-on-one resume review on Monday and Wednesday afternoon from 2-5 PM)

Using Active Learning in Your Conference Presentations
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
Learn to incorporate simple, active learning techniques into your conference session, MuseumExpo™ booth or museum program to make it a more active, less passive learning experience for your audience.  Note: this session repeats Monday afternoon, 2 PM.
Presenter: Clyde Freeman Herreid, Director, National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, State University of New York, Buffalo

AAM Career Café ™ International:
Museum Standards and Best Practices Primer
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Join this valuable overview and introduction to Museum Standards and Best Practices, which constitute the field's core operational principles.
Presenter: Julie Hart, Senior Director, Museum Standards and Excellence, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Idea Lounge
Leveraging Your Regional Association to Boost Your Career
Monday, May 23
10:30 AM-11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Regional museum associations play a unique role in career development for museum professionals.  Join the executive directors of four regional associations to learn more about career growth and development, boosting your resume, networking with peers, expanding referral opportunities, and giving back to the field.
Provocateurs: Brian Bray, Executive Director, Association of Midwest Museums, St. Louis, MO; Monta Lee Dakin, Executive Director, Mountain-Plains Museum Association, Littleton, CO; Graham Hauck, Executive Director, Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Washington, DC; Dan Yaeger, Executive Director, New England Museum Association, Arlington, MA

Organizational Skills Lab
Building a Sustainable Nonprofit Organization
Monday, May 23
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
In this session participants will reference the AAM e-book, Building a Sustainable Nonprofit Organization, to begin to develop specific strategies for moving beyond simply balancing the operating budget to building a sustainable organization able to meet its mission, strategic goals, and stewardship responsibilities over the long haul.
Presenter: John Durel, Organizational Coach, Durel Consulting Partners/Qm2, Baltimore, MD

Interviewing Techniques
Tuesday, May 24
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
This workshop will offer practical advice and tips on helping you through the interview process.
Presenters: Katherine McNamee, Assistant Director, Human Resources, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC; Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Organizational Skills Lab
Grappling with Fundraising Fears and Board Engagement
Monday, May 23
2:00 PM–3:30 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
In the ongoing aftermath of budget and staffing cuts, learn how tough economic times present a unique opportunity to engage museum trustees in the development and fundraising process.
Presenter: Anita Durel, Partner, Qm2/Durel Consulting Partners, Baltimore, MD

AAM Career Café™ International
Building Your Cross-Cultural Competencies
Monday, May 23
2:00 PM–3:30 PM
Convention Center, Room TBD
Engage in thoughtful discussion with colleagues as we explore typical working methods that might be misunderstood by other cultures, with a close look at styles of communication, concepts of time, power, uncertainty and status that directly impact our work as museum professionals.
Presenters: Myriam Springuel, Principal, Springuel Consulting, Sarasota, FL; Deborah Dunham, Organisational Consultant, People, Projects, Culture & Change, London, UK

Using Active Learning in Your Conference Presentations
2:00 PM–3:30 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
Learn to incorporate simple, active learning techniques into your conference session, MuseumExpo™ booth or museum program to make it a more active, less passive learning experience for your audience.  Note: this session repeats Monday morning, 9 AM.
Presenter: Clyde Freeman Herreid, Director, National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science, State University of New York, Buffalo

One-on-One Resume Review
Monday, May 23
2:00 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Sign up for a brief 20-minute one-on-one resume review session with an experienced colleague in the field. First come, first served by sign-up onsite only.
Interested in being a resume reviewer? Let us know!

AAM Career Café™ International
The Successes and Challenges of Working Abroad
Monday, May 23
3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
If you are currently working abroad, about to take an international assignment, or simply interested in what's going on in museums around the world, join this lively conversation with experienced colleagues.
Presenter: Selma Thomas, Watertown Productions, Inc., Washington, DC

Organizational Skills Lab
Legal Updates Lightning Round
Monday, May 23
3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
In a series of lightning-fast updates on burning issues, learn more from experts in the field about federal, state and local government challenges to nonprofit tax-exempt status (UBIT, property exemptions); employment classification under FLSA and recent actions and enforcement by DOL; more details of what is buried in the 1099 fine print and definition and action on defining a nonprofit for legislative purposes.
Presenters: Marsha Shaines, Deputy General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Craig Blackwell, Associate General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Stephen Urice, Associate Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law, Coral Gables, FL

Get Your Network On! AAM Speed Networking Event at the Annual Meeting
Monday, May 23
5:00 PM–6:30 PM
Hilton Hotel, Room TBD
Try something new to meet your mentoring match. Or, increase your network by 10!  AAM makes it easy for you: pre-register now, it's free with annual meeting registration. Onsite you’ll receive a customized schedule of one-to-one conversations based on criteria you’ve pre-selected. You’ll also get a set of questions to establish rapport and common ground during each 5-7 minute conversation round.  Don’t forget to bring your business cards!  Sponsored by the Getty Foundation.


Idea Lounges
5:15 PM–6:15 PM

• The Role of Informal Learning in the 21^st Century—Parks and Museums are in this Together!
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  21^st Century learners expect access to information 24/7—the new paradigm is “learning anywhere, anytime” and it is personal. Therefore, the field of informal education is growing in importance.  This dialogue will examine the increasingly important role of informal education venues, and the synergies between the primarily park-based field of interpretation and the world of museum education.  Attendees will be better able to describe the growing importance of informal education in the 21^st century, and position their institutions/tailor their careers to continue moving the fields of interpretation and museum education forward together.  Provocateurs: Carol Stapp, Director, Museum Education Program, The George Washington University, Washington, DC; Julia Washburn, Associate Director for Interpretation and Education, National Park Service, Washington, DC
• Engaging Audiences Through Affinity Groups
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  Understanding audiences and changing demographic trends are two of the most relevant aspects to museum work. This session is designed to offer solutions and strategies on ways to use volunteer-directed affinity groups to effectively engage them as an audience first, and later as members and donors to the museum. If implemented, this model helps sessions attendees provide targeted activities, programs, services, etc. to various people in their local communities. Provocateur: Bob Beatty, Vice President for Programs, American Association for State and Local History, Nashville, TN
• Avoiding the “5-Second Cool”
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  Do you remember the last exhibit that you just had to tell your freinds about? If so, what elements of the experience were so important that you felt compelled to mention?  Through cleverly designed musuem experiences, visitors gain greater value beyond knowledge and interpretaiton thereby influencing loyalty and repeat visitation. Learn from design and marketing experts about assessment tools to help you choose cost effective yet evocative designs that breed viral marketers. Provocateur: Maurice O’Connell, Museum/New Business Sales, Adirondack Studios, Argyle, NY

Dine and Dialogues
Monday, May 23
6:30 PM–9:30 PM
Join colleagues with similar interests at a local Houston restaurant for spirited conversation around a focused topic. Attendance is limited.Please visit the Restaurant Reservation Desk to sign up and get dinner locations and directions. Please note, all dinners are “dutch treat.

• The Origination and Evolution of Design Ideas
  Design ideas: do they come from the data or the designer? How much of creativity just happens and how much is generated? Creators are always asked where they get their ideas—this is a chance to explore the eternal question around design and creativity. Join this lively dinner discussion, featuring wines from the Eisterhold cellars. Provocateurs: Gerard Eisterhold, President; Sue Malik, Project Manager; Carole Hollman, Design Coordinator, Eisterhold Associates, Kansas City, MO
• The Challenges of Time Management
  Joincolleagues for an informal dinner discussion on the challenges and successes of managing your time, prioritizing your work, and balancing your professional and personal lives. Provocateur: Betsy Bowers, Deputy Director of Museum Education, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Washington, DC

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TUESDAY, MAY 24

Early Bird Specials
7:45 AM–8:50 AM

• Public Speaking Workshop
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  This workshop, led by members of the International Museum Theater Alliance (IMTAL), is for anyone who would like to learn techniques and tips to help overcome some common pitfalls of public speaking. Chair: George Buss, Director of Experience and Education, Minnetrista, Muncie, IN
• Accelerate Your Career with Small Changes, Big Impact
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  Whether your career is emerging, established or stagnant, you can make small changes with big impact using three simple powerful techniques that you can learn, practice and take back with you to enhance your life at work. Presenters: Mary Case, Co-founder, Qm2: Quality Management to a Higher Power, Washington, DC; Wendy Luke, The HR Sage, Washington, DC
• Achieving Balance in Our Lives
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  Join colleagues for a light-hearted, interactive workshop on the serious subject of balancing life, work and community. Facilitator: Carol Bossert, Interpretive Planning, CBServices, Rockville, MD
• Collections Colleagues: Get Your Network ON!
  Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
  Collections managers, registrars, preparators: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers.  Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California

Organizational Skills Lab

Business Activities of Nonprofits–Tax Considerations
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Explore the income tax rules and planning strategies that both advisors and internal management must consider when a nonprofit organization engages in commercial activities or invests in certain kinds of assets.
Presenters: Marsha Shaines, Deputy General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Craig Blackwell, Associate General Counsel, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; Casey Steadman, Chief Operating Officer, Atlanta History Center

Organizational Skills Lab
Making Effective Decisions
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
Join this practical workshop to better understand the nature of decision making, learn how to identify key stakeholders and ensure consistent communication of decisions across your organization.
Presenter: Gary Ford, Principal, GLFord Consulting, Seattle, WA

Resume Writing for Mid-career Professionals or Career-changers
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Gain valuable tips and strategies from experienced colleagues in the field as you work on your own resume-be sure to bring one! (Note: in addition to this group workshop, you may sign up for one-on-one resume review on Monday and Wednesday afternoon 2-5 PM.)
Presenter: Nik Honeysett, Head of Administration, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA

The Doctor Is In! Tips and Srategies for Being a Consultant
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Learn from thoughtful, experienced museum consultants in this practical discussion about what works and doesn't work in the world of successful independent museum professionals.
Presenters: Carol Bossert, Interpretive Planning, CBServices, Rockville, MD; Diane Frankel, Associate, Management Consultants for the Arts, Stamford, CT; Elaine Heumann Gurian, Senior Museum Consultant, The Museum Group, Arlington, VA

Organizational Skills Lab
Understanding Team Dynamics
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
In this this practical workshop, we’ll help you learn how you can build better teams, gain trust, engage in productive debate and prioritize team goals over individual interests.
Presenter: Gary Ford, Principal, GLFord Consulting, Seattle, WA

Organizational Skills Lab
”We Proceeded On”…Planning for Museum Operations—One Museum Project’s Expedition
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
The director of operations for the National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA) project office will lead a discussion on the process involved in planning for museum operations, with a focus on how planning has evolved and matured through the years; lessons learned along the way; and best practices that can be gleaned from this museum project’s experiences. 
Presenter: Margaret Thomas, Director of Operations, National Museum of the United States Army, Ft. Belvoir, VA

Idea Lounge
“Some Assembly Required”: Engaging New Audiences and Deepening the Visitor Experience Through Museum Performance
Tuesday, May 24
10:30 AM-11:45 AM
Location TBD
In this interactive session, participants will experience “Some Assembly Required,” a unique program that uses improvisation, dance, live music and dialogue to create a new leans to visual artworks. This process/performance, which has been used in museums and galleries nationally and internationally for over a decade, will stimulate ideas on innovative ways of connecting with visitors by bringing informative, multidisciplinary programs to your museum.  Join these artist/educators for an entertaining and thought-provoking experience. Sponsored in part by RdlR Architects.
Presenters: Michele de la Reza, Co-founder & Co-artistic Director, Attack Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA; Dave Eggar, Grammy-nominated composer, Meet the Artist Fellow, The Julliard School, New York; Peter Kope, Co-founder & Co-artistic Director, Attack Theatre; Chuck Palmer, Grammy-nominated Percussionist and Producer, Attack Theatre; Rebecca Himberger, Associate Director, Marketing and Corporate Partnerships, Attack Theatre

Career Cafe Blue Plate Specials™
Tuesday, May 24
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Bring your lunch and join us for brief, bite-sized (20-minute) presentations and conversations on a range of career and management-related topics.

• Writing the Cover Letter that Gets You the Interview
  How do you write the letter that gets you the interview? After many years of hiring staff, this senior-level colleague shares her “top 10” list of what NOT to do, and gathers a few tips from the audience on successful tips.Presenter: Laurie Baty, University Park, MD

• Keeping a Career Log
  In today’s career marketplace, both current employees and candidates must be able to articulate why they are wonderful at what they do and how those specific skills benefit the organization. Learn how keeping a career log can hassist you in tracking your accomplishments, skills, and tasks. Presenter: Elizabeth Maurer, Senior Marketing Associate, Design and Production, Inc. Alexandria, VA

• Mind-mapping Your Career
  Get creative in this hands-on activity that will help you visualize your career path, focusing on your strengths, passions, and unique experiences that contribute to the professional “You.”Presenter: Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Professional Writing Workshop
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
In this practical workshop, you'll emerge better able to sharpen your writing skills, write with more confidence and persuasion, unlock writer’s block and choose the right approach for different kinds of communications.
Presenters: Carol Bossert, Interpretive Planning, CBServices, Rockville, MD; Susan Breitkopf, Managing Editor, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Personal Branding Workshop
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
This fun and useful workshop will help you improve your professional marketability with practical tips on how to persuasively and powerfully convey your personal brand through written, oral and visual communication.
Presenter: Randy Siegel, Communications and Leadership Trainer, Coach, and Speaker, BuildYourLeaders.com, BuildYourInfluence.com, Asheville, NC

One-on-One Resume Review
2:00 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Sign up for a brief 20-minute one-on-one resume review session with an experienced colleague in the field. First come, first served by sign-up onsite only.
Interested in being a resume reviewer? Let us know!

Organizational Skills Lab
Mediating Conflict
2:00 PM–3:15 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
If your employees have a hard time getting along or your departments engage in "artificial harmony," you'll find useful tips in this hands-on workshop designed to help you and your colleagues more effectively tackle conflict and engage in honest communication.
Presenter: Gary Ford, Principal, GLFord Consulting, Seattle, WA

"Top 10 Job Skills" Roundtables
2:00 PM–3:15 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Learn from your peers and experts in the field as we collectively explore and build a list of the "top 10 skills" needed to succeed in today's (and tomorrow's) museum industry.
Chairs: Katherine McNamee, Assistant Director, Human Resources; Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC
Interested in being a discussion facilitator? Let us know!

Organizational Skills Lab
So You Have a Staff, Now What?
3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
If you're a new manager, this workshop will help you explore your leadership traits, provide feedback to staff and make the neccessary shift in values and time management that will make you more effective in your role.
Presenter: Gary Ford, Principal, GLFord Consulting, Seattle, WA

"A Day in the Life..." Reality Roundtables
3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Get an intimate glimpse of the day-to-day challenges and triumphs of museum work in these small group, face-to-face discussions with practitioners in the field.

• Collections Manager
  Emmanuel “Jun” Francisco, Jr., Director of Collections Management, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
• Curator
  Ellen Endslow, Director of Collections/Curator, Chester County Historical Society, West Chestser, PA
• Development and Membership
  Suzanne Carulo, CEO, Artistic Mag, LLC, Highland Ranch, CO
• Education and Interpretation
  Leah Melber, Director of Student and Teacher Programs, Lincloln Park Zoo, Chicago
• Exhibit Developer
  Eileen Campbell, Exhibit Developer, Writer, Owner, Farallon Media, Pacifica, CA
• Public Relations and Marketing
  Amy Athey McDonald, Public Relations and Marketing Manager, Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT
• Registrar 
  Jackie Hoff, Director of Collections Services, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN
• Volunteer Manager
  Deirdre Araujo, Manager, Volunteer Services, Exploratorium, San Francisco

Organizational Skills Lab
The Value of Sharing Data Across Your Museum
Tuesday, May 24
3:45 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Gain practical advice on how to best work across your museum departments with respect to sharing data and how to gain buy-in from the top down and bottom up.
Presenters: Michael Culler, Consulting Manager, Blackbaud, Inc., Charleston, SC;  Casey Steadman, Chief Operating Officer, Atlanta History Center

Development and Membership Colleagues: Get Your Network ON!
5:15 PM – 6:15 PM
Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
Development and membership colleagues: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field, or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers.  Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California.

Idea Lounges:
5:15 PM–6:15 PM

• Selling Your Organization: A Menu of Opportunities
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  Over the last ten years, Lakeview Museum has created a self-generated folio titled “Sponsor Investment Opportunities.” This folio has empowered the museum to attract $2 million+ in program support and sponsorship. Learn more about this multi-year strategy, including examples of the self-published folio, how to keep it relevant at very low-cost, staff and board buy-in, and positive reactions from local sponsors who have otherwise felt tapped-out.
  Provocateur: Jim Richerson, President & CEO, Lakeview Museum/Peoria Riverfront Museum, Peoria, IL
• What is Intergenerational Digital Storytelling?
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  What is intergenerational digital storytelling?  Learn more in this Idea Lounge as we share ways you can devise a thematic program that brings senior adult learners together with college or high school students to produce original multimedia "slide shows" in PPT or video format.
  Provocateur: Sandra Abbott, Curator of Collections & Outreach, Center for Art, Design & Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD
• Museums, Community and Social Responsibility
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  The 21^st Century calls to us to address pressing challenges.  Museums are answering that call with innovative programs, partnerships, and practices.  What do we need to bring more of this work to our own museums? What can we do, individually and collectively, to support a future of increased contribution to society by Museums that goes beyond relevance into the realm of leadership? Join us for a creative, passionate conversation about the future you want to work towards.
  Provocateurs: Darlene Turner, Sr. Museum Consultant, Wheeler Historic Farm, Salt Lake City, UT; D.D. Hilke, D.D. Hilke and Associates, Woodinville, WA; Joanna Fisher, Museum Project Manager, Salt Lake City, UT

Dine and Dialogues
6:30 PM–9:30 PM
Join colleagues with similar interests at a local Houston restaurant for spirited conversation around a focused topic. Attendance is limited.Please visit the Restaurant Reservation Desk to sign up and get dinner locations and directions. Please note, all dinners are “dutch treat.”

• Museums, Community and Social Responsibility
  The 21^st Century calls to us to address pressing challenges.  Museums are answering that call with innovative programs, partnerships, and practices. What do we need to bring more of this work to our own museums? What can we do, individually and collectively, to support a future of increased contribution to society by Museums that goes beyond relevance into the realm of leadership? Join us for a creative, passionate conversation about the future you want to work towards.Provocateurs: Darlene Turner, Sr. Museum Consultant, Wheeler Historic Farm, Salt Lake City, UT; D.D. Hilke, D.D. Hilke and Associates, Woodinville, WA; Joanna Fisher, Museum Project Manager, Salt Lake City, UT
• Artifact-based vs. Message-based Museums – What are the Challenges and What are the Benefits?
  Some museums are centered around their collections, while others have no collections at all, and focus on storytelling and recreation. And yet others are a combination of the two. What are the pros and cons of each approach? Join this lively dinner discussion, featuring wines from the Eisterhold cellars. Provocateurs: Gerard Eisterhold, President; Sue Malik, Project Manager; Carole Hollman, Design Coordinator, Eisterhold Associates, Kansas City, MO
• Sharing State Museum Association Good Ideas
  State museum associations form an important local networking and professional development resource for museum colleagues. What does your state museum association do to meet the needs of museums and museum staff in your state? Bring your great ideas about guerrilla communication strategies, innovative programs, and methods to energize volunteers. Be prepared to talk about what worked (and what didn't)!  Provocateurs: Lin Nelson-Mayson, Director, Goldstein Museum of Design and Chair, Minnesota Association of Museums; Jackie Hoff, Director, Collections Services, Science Museum of Minnesota, St. Paul and Communications Vice Chair, Minnesota Association of Museums

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 25

Early Bird Specials
7:45 AM–8:50 AM

• Crafting a Great AAM Session Proposal
  Convention Center, Room 370 B
  Learn some basic tips on how to successfully craft an effective AAM session proposal that will translate into a great annual meeting session.
  Presenter: Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC
• Managing From the Middle
  Convention Center, Room 370 D
  Often, mid-level managers are called on to be effective leaders and idea makers while working within the vision and directives of a boss.  At the same time, our employees and peers look to us to be leaders. Explore strategies, ideas and skill sets one can acquire and employ in managing up, down and across the organization.
  Presenter: Sheetal Prajapati, Assistant Director for Adult Programs, Museum of Modern Art, NY
  
• Museum Education and Young Audiences
  Convention Center, Room 370 C
  All levels of museum education professionals are invited to share information about programs that have been presented with/for under-8-year-old audiences, including successes, challenges, program activity attributes, and brainstoriming for new ideas.
  Provocateur: Betsy Bowers, Deputy Director of Museum Education, Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center, Washington, DC
• Exhibition Professionals: Get Your Network ON!
  Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
  Exhibition colleagues: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field, or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers.  Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California.

Creating Effective Presentations
9:00 AM –10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
In this hands-on workshop, we'll explore some of the ways you can design and deliver a powerful, persuasive and playful presentation using basic communciation tools and your own innate skills.
Presenter: Greg Stevens, Assistant Director, Professional Development, American Association of Museums, Washington, DC

Organizational Skills Lab
Current Trends and Their Impact on You and Your Institution
9:00 AM–10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
Join conference attendees to discuss the trends impacting their work, institutions and communities, including humor, paranoid leadership, vigilante consumerism, multi-channel/multi-discipline products and services and the pull of weak/strong ties.
Presenter: Mary Case, Co-founder, Qm²: Quality Management to a Higher Power, Washington, DC

Idea Lounge
Can Museums Help Close the Achievement Gap?
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
There is a lot of talk about the achievement gap in formal education.  From the federal government, to organizations like Teach for America, to grassroots efforts, many resources are being spent to address this challenge in American education.  What role, if any, should informal education institutions play in the solution to this problem?  How does your institution partner with formal educational programs?  What services do you provide and are they effective?  Is there a way to forge a deeper connection with the audience?  How do you measure success or outcomes when our goals are experience based?  How can we create a stronger culture of education where learning and teaching are more ingrained into the national consciousness?  Let's talk about it!
Provocateur: Timothy Rhue, II, Graduate Candidate, Museum Education Program, The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Organizational Skills Lab
Planning for Crisis Communications
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Crisis happens-are you prepared?  No matter the nature of the crisis-natural disaster, financial challenges, ethics or legal issues, accidents-your institution has the obligation and opportunity to effectively communicate with both internal and external stakeholders.  Learn how from communications experts and your peers in this thoughtful, practical session.
Presenters: Jill Allread, President, Public Communications, Inc., Chicago; Tim Hallman, Director of Marketing and Communications, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Organizational Skills Lab
Your Board: Fully Effective, Beyond Compliance, Well-Rounded
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
This session is designed to help you engage board members in more meaningful ways by understanding their fiduciary,  generative and strategic roles in order to engender enthusiasm for the organization and enjoy their board experience.
Presenter: Maureen Robinson, Consultant and Author of Nonprofit Boards that Work, Bethesda, MD

Organizational Skills Lab
Wil the Crowd Fund Our Project? Using Kickstarter to Support Museums and Heritage Projects
10:30 AM–11:45 AM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Based on direct and successful experience with Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects,  Linda Norris shares what she has learned about crowd-sourced project funding.  From shaping a pitch, to using Twitter and Facebook to selecting great premiums for backers-she did it all in raising funds for the Pickle Project. After participating, attendees will have a sense of the how and why of Kickstarter and if it might be useful to their organizations (or their own secret creative dreams!).
Presenter: Linda Norris, Managing Partner, Riverhill, Treadwell, NY

PR and Marketing Colleagues: Get Your Network ON!
12:15 PM–1:15 PM
Convention Center, MuseumExpo, AAM Bookstore
PR, marketing and communcations colleagues: are you a mover-and-shaker, pot-stirrer, go-getter, connect-the-dots, outside-the-box colleague? Bring your business card, Smartphone, and a cup of coffee and hang out with like-minded folks for informal conversation, story-swapping, and brain charge! Whether your institution is large or small, you’re new to the field or an independent professional—join this informal meet-up to network with your peers.  Developed by Adam Rozan, Marketing Manager; and Kelly Koski, Communications Manager, Oakland Museum of California. Brought to you in collaboration with the AAM PR and Marketing Committee (PRAM).

Graduate "Flash" Showcase
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Join back-to-back mini-sessions (or "flashes") on current programs, projects or research presented by graduate students or emerging professionals with less than two years in the field.

• Digital Mellini: A Getty Research Institute and University of Málaga Collaboration
  Although art historians, professors and students regularly use electronic resources for their study and research, art history as a discipline has lagged behind the social and hard sciences in using the Web as an innovative and productive way to develop discipline-specific research tools and to present and publish scholarly, authoritative work.  Learn more about the Digital Mellini research project, based on an unpublished 17th-century manuscript from the GRI Special Collections—Pietro Mellini's 1681 rhyming inventory of paintings and drawings from his family’s collection in Rome. Presenter: Ruth Cuadra, Applications Systems Specialist, Getty Research Institute, and Graduate Student, Johns Hopkins University Museum Studies Program, Los Angeles, CA
  
• Social Action Simulations in Museums
  Presentation of a recent MFA thesis which explores the use of live-action simulations on challenging social subjects in museums. The investigation looks at developing empathy through first person narratives and role-play and is applied to the creation of a program teacher's guide. Presenter: Amy Vlastelica, Graduate Student, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  
• Inviting Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Contemporary Artist Trenton Doyle Hancock
  Megan Voeller describes how she collaborated with the museum’s chief curator to identify key themes in contemporary artist Trenton Doyle Hancock’s paintings and self-portraiture and invited three faculty members from departments across the university to participate in an interdisciplinary colloquium in conjunction with the exhibition Trenton Doyle Hancock: We Done All We Could, and None of It’s Good at the University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Jan.-Mar., 2011. Voeller discusses the unusual format of the colloquium, which interspersed a series of dialogues between the artist and curator with faculty responses and audience questions, as well as strategies for inviting voices from other disciplines into the museum as interpreters of art.  Presenter: Megan Voeller, Curatorial Assistant and Graduate Student, Contemporary Art Museum, University of South Florida, Tampa
  
• A Unifying Curriculum for Museum Schools
  The number of public and charter K-12 museum schools has grown in recent years, employing a diversity of methods and curricula.  Learn more about the current scope of these schools in the nation and what they could, or should, look like from the museum professional’s perspective. Presenter: Kaleen E. Povis, Masters Candidate, Museology Program, University of Washington, Redmond, WA
  

 

Organizational Skills Lab
Branding for What’s Next
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 C
Let the changes come. There is one certainty to rely on: your museum’s brand.  With your identity clear, and core values agreed upon, new decisions are easier to make. Whether you are recruiting board members, developing exhibition tours or programming collateral activities, this session and facilitated discussion on being true to your brand will help you stay on mission, on budget and on good terms with all stakeholders through changes and related decision-making.
Presenter: Margot Wallace, Associate Professor, Marketing Communication, Columbia College Chicago

Personal Branding Workshop
12:15 PM–1:45 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
This fun and useful workshop will help you improve your professional marketability with practical tips on how to persuasively and powerfully convey your personal brand through written, oral and visual communication.
Presenter: Randy Siegel, Communications and Leadership Trainer, Coach, and Speaker, BuildYourLeaders.com, BuildYourInfluence.com, Asheville, NC

Organizational Skills Lab
Essential Marketing/Business Development Skills for Beginners
2:00 PM–3:15 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 D
New to marketing/business development? Get ready—in this interactive, discussion-driven session you will learn essential marketing/business development skills and techniques which incorporate modern technology and methods to capture new corporate partnerships and memberships. Presenter: Suzanne Carulo, CEO, Artistic Mag, LLC, Highland Ranch, CO

One-on-one Resume Review
2:00 PM–5:00 PM
Convention Center, Room 370 B
Sign up for a brief 20-minute one-on-one resume  review session with an experienced colleague in the field. First come, first served by sign-up onsite only.
Interested in being a resume reviewer? Let us know!

Dine and Dialogue
6:30 PM–9:30 PM
Join colleagues with similar interests at a local Houston restaurant for spirited conversation around a focused topic. Attendance is limited.Please visit the Restaurant Reservation Desk to sign up and get dinner locations and directions. Please note, all dinners are “dutch treat.”

• You Had to Be There – Drawing a Physical Audience in the Digital Age
  What makes a museum experience important in a world where information and entertainment are at everyone’s fingertips? What makes a museum a “you had to be there” experience?  Join this lively dinner discussion, featuring wines from the Eisterhold cellars. Provocateurs: Gerard Eisterhold, President; Sue Malik, Project Manager; Carole Hollman, Design Coordinator, Eisterhold Associates, Kansas City, MO