Washington, DC, 5/14/2007 - The American Association of Museums (AAM) announced the election of a new vice chair and seven new members-at-large to its Board of Directors during AAM’s 2007 Annual Meeting in Chicago.  Irene Hirano, Chair of the Board, introduced the new vice chair and board members today during the meeting’s first General Session.

Museum leaders of the highest caliber are nominated for election to the AAM Board of Directors.  Those elected to the board are held in high regard by their colleagues in the field.  The AAM board is comprised of a chair, vice chair, immediate past chair and 18 members-at-large—all museum professionals from institutions diverse in type, size, and geographic location.      

The new vice chair, elected to the 2007-2008 term, is Carl Nold, president and CEO of Historic New England in Boston, Mass.

The six new board members-at-large, elected to the 2007-2010 term, are:

*  Ted Beattie, President and CEO, Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Ill.
*  Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Deputy Director, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C.
*  Ron Forman, President and CEO, Audubon Nature Institute, New Orleans, La.
*  Allyn Lord, Director, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Springdale, Ark.
*  Juanita Moore, President and CEO, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, Mich.
*  Dennis Wint, President and CEO, The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.

John Wetenhall, Executive Director of the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Fla., has been elected to complete the unexpired term of Carl Nold. Mr. Wetenhall will serve until May 2009. 

“The new AAM board members will continue the long tradition of outstanding and diverse leadership for the nation’s oldest and largest museum association,” said Kim Igoe, interim president & CEO of AAM.  “On behalf of their colleagues in the museum community, I congratulate them and look forward to working with them to strengthen and serve museums across the country.” 

Board Members Continuing Service

Immediate Past Board Chair (Term 2006–2008)
*  Jeffrey Rudolph, president & CEO, California Science Center, Los Angeles, Calif.

Board Members-at-Large (Term 2005–2008)
*  Spencer R. Crew, President, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
*  Bill Eiland, Director, Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
*  Gail M. Harrity, COO, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pa.
*  Lyndel King, Director, Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Minn.
*  Patrick Kociolek, Executive Director, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, Calif.
*  Doug G. Myers, Executive Director, Zoological Society of San Diego, Calif.

Board Members-at-Large (Term 2006–2009)
*  Georgianna Contiguglia, president & CEO, Colorado Historical Society, Denver, Colo.
*  Steven High, Director & CEO, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Ga.
*  Christian Samper, Acting Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
*  Kathy Dwyer Southern, president & CEO, National Children’s Museum, Washington, D.C.
*  Howard J. Taylor, Director, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, Tex. 

More information about AAM governance can be found online at http://www.aam-us.org/aboutaam/governance/index.cfm.

About AAM
The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.  

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