Speaker Sarah Abernathy, Executive Director, Committee for Education Funding will provide critical background on the Congressional budget and appropriations processes. She will share valuable insights and context on the legislative landscape on Capitol Hill that will be especially helpful for those advocates with Congressional meetings on March 1, as well as those connecting with elected officials throughout the year.

About the speaker:

Sarah Abernathy is Executive Director of the Committee for Education Funding (CEF), the oldest and largest coalition of education associations in existence, of which AAM is a dues paying member. She frequently testifies on Capitol Hill about the importance of funding for education including for museums. She has close to 30 years of experience working on education and budget issues in both Congress and in the Administration, including at the Department of Education, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Department of Health and Human Services. For the previous 18 years Ms. Abernathy worked on the Democratic staff of the House Budget Committee, most recently serving as Senior Policy Coordinator focusing on budget issues relating to education, social services, and job training as well as environmental issues. She helped lead and manage the staff to develop goals and policy, including budget legislation. As the education staffer, she was responsible for collaborating with a range of stakeholders including the Administration, the advocacy community, the Congressional Budget Office, and Members to Congress to create and analyze budget options and craft strategies for their successful adoption. She developed special expertise in student financial aid policy, appropriations analysis, and budget process. Before her stint with the Budget Committee she spent 6 years as a legislative assistant for two Democratic House members. Ms. Abernathy graduated from Williams College and also earned a Master’s in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Note: This webinar workshop is one in a series of four weekly, live webinars in February available to registrants of Museums Advocacy Day 2022. If you have registered, a link will be sent directly to you prior to the event.
 

The statements and opinions expressed by panelists, hosts, attendees, or other participants of this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of, nor are endorsed by, the American Alliance of Museums.