This past May NEMA launched an important new resource for NEMA members who need confidential advice from trusted colleagues. It’s called “NEMA 911,” a free service that connects members with seasoned museum professionals who help them navigate challenging situations in the areas of finance, governance, ethics, facilities, collections, disaster management, personnel, and other concerns.

Available to executive directors, senior staff, and trustees who are NEMA members, NEMA 911 is a rapid-response resource that draws on a pool of senior-level museum professionals who are in or nearing retirement. To date, the “NEMA 911 Team” has responded to three cases from museum people from around New England.

The idea behind the program, according to NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger, was inspired by the fact that museum leaders sometimes find themselves in “deep waters,” facing challenging situations for which they are uncertain or unprepared. “Google and other online resources might be helpful,” said Yaeger, “but they’re no substitute for a trusted adviser in the field who has the experience, judgment, and contacts to provide a way to navigate the situation.”

Yaeger emphasized that NEMA 911 is designed to untangle problems and help find pathways to solutions, and not provide long-term consulting services. “So far, each of the NEMA 911 cases have been resolved with one or two phone calls,” Yaeger reported. “That is in line with what we expected when we started the program.”

The program team consists of what Yaeger calls the “Emergency Room doctors,” who receive an intake form and triage the problem, and the “Operating Room doctors,” who are on call to act on the case. The core team of “ER doctors” includes Wendy Lull, President Emeritus of the Seacoast Science Center, Charlie Browne, retired director of the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium, and David Ellis, retired director of the Museum of Science, Boston.

The “OR doctors” include Jeff Anderson, retired director of the Florence Griswold Museum, Phelan Fretz, director of ECHO/Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Laura Roberts of Laura Roberts Consulting, Larry Yerdon, president of Strawbery Banke Museum, and Nina Zannieri, director of the Paul Revere Memorial Association.

So far the program has worked well, with a museum trustee, an executive director, and a senior staffer initiating the first three cases, all of which provided valuable advice. “I'm so grateful for the 911 service and am glad that I reached out for it and received such a quick response,” wrote one of the program participants after their case was brought to conclusion. “Thank you for offering this terrific service!”