IMAS In The Spotlight
IMAS Director Elected as TAM President
Ann Fortescue, President and Executive Director of the International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS), was recently elected as the President of the Texas Association of Museums (TAM). Fortescue will represent IMAS and south Texas on the Board of Directors for the 2023-2025 term alongside museum directors and representatives from across the state.
As president, Ann works closely with TAM Executive Director Brittany Petrilli and leads the 15-member TAM Council to guide the association serving museums and museum professionals across the state through resources, affinity group networks, and continuing education programs, including the Annual Conference which drew over 400 museum professionals to San Antonio this past April and will convene in Lubbock in 2024. TAM continues to build its membership as preparations for its 50th Anniversary in 2025 are underway.
Ann Fortescue joined IMAS in July 2019 with over 35 years of museum experience, most recently as the Executive Director for the Springfield Museum of Art in Ohio. Prior to that she worked at the Senator
IMAS / UTRGV Community Partner Recognition
The IMAS was recognized by UTRGV Office of Community Engagement as a valued community partner for their work with Professor Juan Gonzalez in the Geology department. Receiving the award are Ann Fortescue and Anastasia Perez, pictured with Veronica Gonzales, Senior Vice President for Governmental and Community Relations, and Dr. Christian Corrales, Assistant Vice President Community Engagement.
John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh for over 20 years and was a member of the staff team that planned and built the History Center. She served on the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Accreditation Commission and is an active AAM peer reviewer. From her early years as a museum educator and through a succession of supervisory roles, she has enthusiastically built teams that strive to make the museum a place for everyone. Ann has a BA from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, a MS from Bank Street College of Education in New York City and completed the Museum Leadership Institute at the Getty Institute in Los Angeles, California.
“TAM has been a vital resource to the Texas museum community for decades”, says Brittany Petrilli, Executive Director of Texas Association of Museums. “With Ann’s extensive experience in the museum field and her ability to foster collaboration and promote community-oriented growth, she is well-positioned to lead TAM into its 50th anniversary and beyond. We are thrilled to have Ann’s guidance and eagerly anticipate TAM’s promising future under her leadership.”
Cambio Cohort Panelists at CMA Conference
Veronica Garcia-Luis (Exploratorium), Aylaia Sifuentes (IMAS Development and Membership Coordinator), Priya Mohabir (New York Hall of Science), and Hilary Van Alsburg (Children’s Museum Tucson), represented Cambio cohort 2 and their respective strategic initiative projects at the Association of Children’s Museums Annual Conference in New Orleans in April 2023.
Below: Ann Fortescue officially takes office as TAM President during the Annual Conference to a room full of museum professionals from across the state of Texas.
