Leaders, time to get real and get support
Most people know me for my approach to education and interpretation - especially in history museum spaces.
They know me for museum dialogue, transformative visitor experiences, interpretive planning and helping organizations create meaningful moments that stick with people after they leave.
What I haven’t blogged about is another part of my work: supporting museum leaders.
2026 History Leadership Fellows - getting silly after graduation. (Location: Mill City Museum, Minneapolis, MN)
On the surface, it looks like completely different work. One focuses on visitors. The other focuses on leaders.
But to me, they're really the same thing.
I've always been fascinated by experiences that change us - not through information alone, but through reflection, connection, and the opportunity to make sense of our lives. And I love that we do this alongside other people.
But listen, this work is even more important now that the world has gone crazy. In fact, let me just go out on a limb and say:
If you are a museum leader in this era, you have a RIGHT to be supported
with meaningful professional development.
For 4 years running, I’ve designed and led History Leadership Institute (HLI), which is basically like a two-week museum summer camp for serious leaders who want to find ways to create real change in the field. And for folks who are looking for a group of people who want the same thing. (By the way, if you are interested in HLI - check back this fall when applications open again.)
The problem is that, for some people, HLI is a bigger time commitment than they can fit into their lives.
So AASLH had the bright idea to create Executive Insight Circle - a virtual-only program - that aims to create some of that HLI magic, over a longer period of time, online.
Executive Insight Circle is designed as a sort of think tank and safe space for Executive Directors of mid/large-sized history museums, where leaders can get REAL with each other and grow to be their best selves.
Museum leaders carry an incredible amount.
How do I manage expectations coming from every direction?
What happens if the funding doesn't come through?
How do I support my staff when I'm struggling myself?
Or frankly - do I even like museums anymore?
One of the surprising things about executive leadership is how isolating it can become. And there are fewer and fewer places where you can admit uncertainty without feeling like you're supposed to have the answers already.
In my experience, it’s exactly this conundrum that makes for fearful or reactionary decision-making. Facing pressure from all sides, people can easily move away from their values and into a no-man’s land of moral ambiguity.
What’s Executive Insight Circle like? Watch 👀
Executive Insight Circle (EIC) exists to create a unique space.
Not a place to vent endlessly.
Not another webinar where someone talks at you.
A circle of peers who understand the realities of museum leadership and who tackle problems together. Meeting topics are often informed by what’s going on in the current landscape; things like fundraising pressures, political censorship, staff well-being, and PR strategy.
But equally important is the work you will do to understand yourself - your values, your fears, your purpose. Because frankly, it’s hard to follow a leader who is not behaving in a way that is authentic to who they are as a person.
Have you had bosses like this - who follow every passing trend, who buckle too easily to unreasonable demands from one complaining visitor, or who can’t ever seem to connect to the “why?” of the work? This is an authenticity problem, but it looks and acts like fear or a lack of confidence.
I think what excites me most about EIC is what happens over the nine months that we meet - underneath those conversations.
People become more confident.
A little less alone.
More connected to the reasons they chose this work in the first place.Or. . . more ready to make a change they’ve been pushing to the back of their minds.
The Important Details:
Applications are due: Tuesday, July 6
Program starts in September. We encourage folks to go to the AASLH conference to kick things off in person, but not required.
Commitment: 2-hour meetings, once/month for 9 months. Homework includes (one-on-one meetings with cohort members and some structured reflections)
Cost for members $3,150, includes one personalized coaching session with me.
Application is easy: resume + one-page letter
We're in the final days before applications close, and I'd genuinely love to see this cohort come together.
If you're a museum executive—or someone stepping into executive leadership—and you've been wondering whether this kind of support is worth it, I'd encourage you to take a look.
If funding is tight and you’re looking for creative solutions, reach out. I may be able to help you figure something out.
Because leadership doesn't have to be something you figure out alone.