What does it mean to be a professional service organization in 2022 and beyond? Whom does an organization like the New England Museum Association actually serve, and to what ends? Are we, the NEMA staff and board, as functionally inclusive, welcoming, and forward-thinking as we intend to be? Do our policies and procedures internally match the values we promote externally? What do we mean when we say we want to help lead the museum field? For the last two years, NEMA staff and board have been tackling these and related questions in our journey to become a more transparent, equitable, and useful organization at all levels. From questioning our own personal assumptions and unconscious biases to examining most of how NEMA functions, this journey has been full of opportunities to redefine who we are as an association.

The following reflections on our ongoing equity centering process are provided by our executive director, Dan Yaeger, and board member and incoming board president, Raney Bench, director of the Mount Desert Island Historical Society.

Why did NEMA need a new mission, vision, and values?

Dan:  Like the museum field generally, NEMA has discussed diversity, equity, access, inclusion, and justice (DEAIJ) as important issues for many years. The social unrest that exploded in 2020 made us realize how DEAIJ is not just an “issue,” but is a fundamental, root-level problem that affects our institutions and society generally. NEMA staff and board in 2021 embarked on a comprehensive DEAIJ “journey of discovery,” investigating our own embedded biases and privilege, both individually and institutionally. During the journey, we came to recognize that we needed new mission and values statements to better align NEMA with our intention to become an organization that practices and models equity.

Raney: I’m increasingly concerned about who is drawn to the museum profession, wanting to make sure everyone sees themselves reflected in our field; that people from all backgrounds and interests will find a rewarding career in which to work. For me, that meant NEMA needed to take on this work internally before we could support our peers in DEAIJ work. Like many other organizations, NEMA knew it needed more than a position statement, or statement of support. We needed transformational work that would serve as a guiding principle for NEMA and our members into the future.

How long did it take?

Dan:  The process began in the spring of 2021 when we engaged the equity consulting firm Arts Connect International. Their incredible team of professionals led us through roughly 18 months of workshops, one-on-one assessments, and small group meetings that resulted in equity recommendations, plus mission and value statements. But the journey continues, as we work iteratively on finding ways to shape those equity plan recommendations and apply them at all levels of our organization. An expression that became a favorite of mine through this process is that we “move at the speed of trust.” I learned that the sense of urgency that dominates so many of our actions is fundamentally an outgrowth of white patriarchal behavior. True, transformative equity work needs time and space.

What were the opening steps?

Dan:  We actually tackled the values statements before the mission statement, which I think really aided the process since the hardest work was agreeing on values. By the time we were ready to examine the mission statement, much of the heavy lifting was behind us. I think one of the most important opening steps was cultivating a spirit of openness and trust as a group. Arts Connect International began each values/mission workshop with a reminder of ground rules that we all agreed on at the very beginning of the process: wholehearted listening, respect for opinions that aren’t mine, and so on. The intent was to create a safe space where staff and board could speak their own truths without fear of repercussions or judgment.

How did NEMA board and staff pursue consensus building around our organizational values?

Dan:  In some ways it was like that old Broadway play “1776” about the crafting of the Declaration of Independence. We needed to distill a multiplicity of viewpoints down to an essence that could be articulated effectively. At times there was mild contention around prioritizing and wordsmithing, but we were all motivated by a passion for the field and commitment to NEMA’s success. And while we never broke out in song as they did in the musical, I feel that the end result was something that will endure for NEMA and the field.

Raney: There was a lot of back and forth among board members, but also with the membership through surveys, evaluations, and listening sessions. More than once we made dramatic changes to the values based on feedback and conversation. There were numerous workshops devoted to language, where each word was defined and assessed to ensure it accurately captured the value we were trying to express. We challenged ourselves, and were challenged by our members not to include vague language or buzzwords that cannot be clearly defined and understood by everyone.

NEMA’S Mission Statement

The New England Museum Association connects a community engaged in learning, collaboration, and action to cultivate a better museum world.

Adopted by the NEMA Board of Directors, June 2022.

NEMA’s Values

NEMA exists to cultivate a better museum world.

• NEMA creates opportunities for learning, personal growth, creative idea exchange, and inspiration that help individuals and institutions do their best.
• NEMA defines a better museum world as one in which all types of institutions consistently fulfill their potential for their stakeholders and society at large.

NEMA believes that all people should be treated equitably, and that equity centers on changing the museum structures that are systemically oppressive.

• NEMA is active in building racial, disability, gender, economic, and environmental justice through policies, programs, and systems in the museum field.
• NEMA works towards highlighting inequity in museums, supporting equitable practices through staff training and leadership development, and encouraging human-centered culture for workers and public alike.

NEMA believes in expanding and enriching the diversity and interconnectedness of the museum field.

• NEMA uplifts new philosophies of museum practice, fresh perspectives, leadership excellence in all career paths, and promotes actions that center diversity of thought.
• NEMA builds meaningful professional relationships through affinity gatherings, communities of practice, formal programs and informal interactions, each of which centers equity, respect, and mutual support.

NEMA believes that the existential threat of the global environmental crisis poses unprecedented risk to museums, historic resources, and belongings of cultural value, requiring immediate sector-wide action.

• NEMA provides museums with the language and tools to advocate for, fund, and implement solutions to the challenges of climate change.
• NEMA provides sector-wide leadership by facilitating collaboration on policy, data collection/analysis, political action, and development of equitable funding solutions to help museums of all sizes meet climate challenges now and in the future.

NEMA believes in anticipating, assessing, and fulfilling the evolving needs of our museum community.

• NEMA shares power among members, staff, and board, ensuring that NEMA's programming is responsive, iterative and community centered.
• NEMA fosters open and honest communications with its members and others in the field, monitoring trends and innovating solutions that are responsive and impactful.

NEMA believes that the people, stories, collections, and experiences that enliven museums have the ability to create a more just society.

• NEMA is dedicated to social justice by supporting the decolonization of museum collections, governance, and operations.
• NEMA challenges museums to share power with their communities comprehensively and strategically, to ensure that exhibits, programs, and spaces reflect inclusive and expansive histories and cultures.

Adopted by the NEMA Board of Directors, June 2022.

What are your feelings on the final versions?

Dan:  I now realize how anodyne our prior mission and values were. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with them (they adequately described what NEMA does and why it does so), but it seemed that when we crafted them in 2013 we didn’t offend anyone. They were pretty neutral. We are in a very different place today, knowing that NEMA has to take a stand to make our field and society a better place. Our mission and values reflect that.

Raney: I’m really proud of the work we’ve done to-date, but more importantly, I feel hopeful that a culture of accountability and inclusivity has developed through the process that will help ensure NEMA continues to push into the difficult work and take the time to be thoughtful about how we can live our values.

What are your personal thoughts on the process (as a person, museum professional, and staff/board member)?

Dan:  The process has been both challenging and enlightening for me. The folks at ACI repeatedly asked us “what are you willing to give up?” And they never let us take the easy way out. This meant that I needed to confront some very serious personal biases and assumptions, especially around the power and privilege that I hold. I can say today, with a fairly straight face, that I’m willing to give up some of that power and share it more equitably. And I’m willing to be mindful of the privilege I’ve enjoyed as a white male and use it in committed service to a more equitable museum field.

Raney: Living in rural Maine in a predominantly white community, it’s been hard for me to find meaningful ways to support DEAIJ work taking place in the field at large. Listening to colleagues and doing the ACI workshops allowed me to personally change, which will empower me to identify opportunities for change in my community, and give me the skills and confidence to help lead those changes. The DEAIJ work was vitally important, but I’m also really proud that we included a statement about the urgency of climate change in our lives, our profession, and humanity. There are ties to equity that need to be explored in this work, but I also really want to see museums embrace a leadership role in protecting cultural resources and educating people about the facts of climate change in the face of escalating environmental crises.

The mission and values work is only part of NEMA’s equity centering efforts. What else has been happening in conjunction with this process?

Dan:  We divided the equity plan into basically two categories: “low-hanging fruit” and “deeper discussion.” From the staff perspective, there were several recommendations that we could implement fairly quickly. We’ve updated our employee handbook to clarify and improve our commitment to an equitable workplace culture, such as family leave policy and code of conduct. We instituted a new practice for cost of living adjustments so that lowest-paid staff receives proportionately the highest percentage increase. We are redesigning the NEMA website around accessibility and community-building principles. And, while it predates the equity plan, NEMA’s popular jobs board now requires employers to provide salary ranges, improving transparency and salary equity, which over time will translate into a more diverse workforce.

Raney: The board is changing recruitment and nominating procedures to focus more on diversity and leadership mentoring, which will be an ongoing process. We are looking at the structural relationship between the board and staff with a focus on more equitable practices, holistic performance assessments, and clarity in the role of the board.  We’ve sort of slowly been blowing up the board so we can rebuild it to better do the work we agreed upon in our mission and values.

What are some of NEMA’s next steps?

Dan:  The “deeper discussion” category of the equity plan includes some fairly significant potential changes to our business model and governance. For example, one of the recommendations suggests we make the NEMA conference more equitable by paying its speakers and eliminating the cost of attendance to a greater number of people. Today, the conference generates more than half of NEMA’s operating budget, so we would need to rethink our revenue models. This will require a serious commitment of research and reflection from board and staff, with lots of input from the NEMA membership, but I see it as a meaningful opportunity for organizational growth. If our motivation continues to be to align ourselves with the needs of museum people and their aspirations, we will be successful.

Raney: I would like NEMA to focus on mentoring new leadership in the field, building learning relationships that will allow students and young professionals to shape the field in their image, not just learn how things are done now. I am striving to think of ways to inspire college students to pursue a career in museum work, focused on nurturing upcoming professionals who might not otherwise envision themselves in this field. The board needs to keep recruiting from all aspects of the museum field to make sure it reflects the diversity of the field, and encourage those voices to be change agents for NEMA as we evolve.

The NEMA staff and board recognize that the new mission and values statements are the beginning of NEMA’s redefinition, and not the end. In coming months there will be a number of opportunities for NEMA members to get involved in our equity plan process, and we encourage you to reach out to the NEMA staff with any questions or thoughts.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.