The Membership Engagement (ME) board member is the catalyst for how MESC will engage with its membership community. Questions such as “How do we engage our membership?” and “In what ways can we recruit and maintain membership?” will drive their work. The ME will maintain the database of members, reach out to members for renewal, and research opportunities to recruit new members. This board member will develop ideas for membership programming. ME will work closely with the Community Engagement, Diversity + Inclusion + Accessibility, and Outreach & Innovation board members to design an engagement initiative that will identify, initiate, and deepen relationships with various community stakeholders.

The Secretary is responsible for maintaining MESC's organizational records. This position will communicate details of all board and member meetings, providing a written summary of proceedings and action items. The Secretary will collect year-end summaries from each board member and/or working group and compile them in the annual report, which will be used by the Treasurer and Advancement for future grant proposals.

The Vice President (VP) is responsible for collaborating with the engagement, digital/web, and advancement teams/working groups to develop strategic plans for content and programming. The VP will work closely alongside the President on larger initiatives, such as designing the annual board retreat, providing capacity-building opportunities/workshops for the board of directors and membership, and ensuring accountability and equitable distribution of workload among board members, as well as creating a strategic plan for both internal and external communication. In the absence or disability of the President, the VP will assume the role and responsibilities of the President.

The Web board member is responsible for developing and maintaining MESC’s web presence and functionality through its website and online accounts. The Web board member will help co-create and manage an internal production calendar for all MESC web presence while working closely with the Digital board member and the MESC board to create a digital/web strategy for MESC. This board member will need graphics/web design knowledge.

All nominations must be submitted using the online form by midnight on April 5, 2024

In addition to the nominee’s contact information, the nomination form requires the following materials:

• The nominee must indicate their first & second-choice board position.

• Short paragraph describing the nominee’s qualifications and interest in their top-choice board position (max. 150 words).

• Nominee’s professional bio (max. 100 words).

• PDF file of the nominee’s current résumé or CV.

• Name and contact information of one professional reference.

No, nominees do not need to be current MESC members to be considered for a board position.

The 2024-26 board commences on July 1, 2024, and concludes June 30, 2026. Nominees should be prepared to serve the full board term, participating in a variety of in-person and digital meetings, special programs, the Annual Institute, and additional committee projects.

All nominees should be prepared to commit to the following practices during the board term:

• Desire to work collaboratively with people who may have perspectives, backgrounds, and expertise different from yours.

• Positive, constructive, and transparent communication practices.

• Serving, on average, 5 hours per week. All nominees must be able to commit to serving the time necessary to fulfill their role and be aware that this time commitment can fluctuate depending on position and MESC demands.

• Serving outside of your role by volunteering on one collaborative committee in addition to your core committee within the board.

• Participate in MESC programming, including the Annual Institute.

• Maintain current MESC Membership status during the board term.

• Currently active or desire to become an active participant in the museum education field (you’ll be a MESC ambassador!)

April:

• The deadline to submit the nomination form on April 5.

• Interviews are conducted on a rolling basis.

May:

• Membership will vote on the new slate in late May.

June:

• Announce new board.

• Begin board transition.

July:

• 2024-2026 board officially begins.

Yes, all new board members are required to attend the al Annual Institutes. Nominees with a potential conflict should contact Alice Kaufman at akaufman@mesconline.org

If you have any questions regarding the nomination or election process, please contact Alice Kaufman at akaufman@mesconline.org