The AAAM x Howard University Advanced Executive Training

The Association of African American Museums (AAAM) stands as the principal voice of the African American museum movement, providing support, respite, and abundant educational opportunities. For more than four decades, AAAM has successfully preserved African and African American histories. Today, the organization is committed to continuing that legacy by ensuring current and emerging museum leaders have the requisite knowledge and experience to continue that work. This is where our latest offering, a specially designed executive training program, comes in.

Fulfilling a Need

When I was hired as AAAM’s Executive Director in 2019, I had more than a decade of experience as a member. I was acquainted with the mission and makeup of the membership and had a clear vision of how to take the organization to the next level. First and foremost, I wanted to sit down with present and past board presidents and leaders of our field to gain a better understanding of why AAAM—with an enormous amount of talent at its disposal—had not launched a certificate program that would help bolster our leaders and allow us to remain a leader in the industry.

Given the lack of executive trainings on the market that specifically supported the needs of African-American-focused museum professionals, I endeavored to build a program that considered the unique needs of AAAM members. After my own experiences with one-size-fits-all programs, I knew our members deserved a training tailored to their specific experiences. They needed a safe space to unpack and confront the trauma and complexity of protecting and preserving African American history and culture. They also needed help navigating the museum field as Black professionals—a space to confidentially acknowledge barriers they have faced and receive support in overcoming them from leaders with shared experiences.

As I began to meet with stakeholders to discuss this vision, time after time I was told the same thing: we needed more funding and more capacity. With all of our efforts tied to AAAM’s annual conference, our ability to implement a new educational program was limited. Still, despite these limitations, I continued to believe in my vision. To help overcome the roadblocks ahead, I made it my mission to find the perfect partner. I needed a collaborator who would help us provide a great service to our members and supporters, teaching both general leadership skills and the nuances of working with African art and African-American-focused museums.

That perfect partner—Howard University, one of the oldest historically Black universities and my alma mater.

Read more at the American Alliance of Museums Blog.

Images:
Attendees mingle at the AAAM 2024 Conference. Photograph by Megapixels Media Photography.
Attendees visiting the Reginald F. Lewis Museum at the Association of African American Museums 2024 Conference. Photograph by Megapixels Media Photography