SEMC MISSION
The Southeastern Museums Conference is a networking organization that serves to foster professionalism, mutual support, diversity, and communication. A non-profit membership association, SEMC strives to increase educational and professional development opportunities and improve the interchange of ideas, information, and cooperation.
Table Talk, 2024, Baton Rouge.
SEMC VISION
The Southeastern Museums Conference envisions a vibrant and inclusive museum community that leads the industry through innovative practices, celebrates diversity, and provides accessible opportunities for all museum professionals. By setting the standard for excellence and fostering collaboration across the region, we aim to inspire and empower museums to thrive in a dynamic cultural landscape.
George McDaniel, the 2024 James R. Short Award winner.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Zinnia Willits
DEAR FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES:
2024 was a year defined by connection, resilience, and the remarkable capacity of our museum community to adapt, evolve, and lead with purpose.
The Southeastern Museums Conference exists to support and strengthen the institutions and professionals who bring history, culture, and creativity to life across our region. This year, that mission took on renewed urgency. Through uncertainty and change, our members continued to serve their communities with compassion, innovation, and an unwavering belief in the power of museums to educate, engage, and inspire.
From revitalized professional development programs to new initiatives that foreground equity and inclusion, SEMC has worked to be a responsive, relevant resource for all. We’ve seen firsthand how collaboration across disciplines, geographies, and generations can spark not just solutions, but transformation. That spirit of collaboration is woven throughout this report—highlighting the extraordinary work happening in every corner of the Southeast.
We know that the challenges facing our field are complex; we also know our community is full of bright minds and passionate hearts. You are not only preserving culture—you are shaping the future.
Thank you for being part of the SEMC family. Your passion fuels our progress. Here’s to another year of purpose, connection, and impact.
With admiration and appreciation,
Zinnia Willits Executive Director Southeastern Museums Conference
Legacy Reception, Baton Rouge, 2024.
OUR HISTORY
1951: SEMC was established at a meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. It was agreed that the organization should include the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Virginia. SEMC’s first task was to appoint a committee to get the Southeast included in a Congressional bill to appropriate money to provide places of safe-keeping for museum objects in case of war.
1956: Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia petitioned to join SEMC. The Council suggested they form their own organization, today known as the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums.
1959: First five-year plan and added Arkansas to the SEMC.
1960: Hosted two professional development workshops in North Carolina on museum training and historic house restoration.
1960s: Hired first SEMC staff with $25,000 foundation grant to carry out further training workshops; SEMC urged the American Alliance (formerly Association) of Museums to formulate a museum accreditation program.
1969: SEMC established a three-day annual meeting.
1970s: Local arrangements and program committees were established for the annual meeting; SEMC published a directory of educational resources.
1977: SEMC was officially incorporated; and exhibitors were added to the annual meeting.
1982: Moved the central offices of SEMC to Memphis.
1986: Moved SEMC offices to Baton Rouge.
1992: A full-time Executive Director and a Director of Office and Memberships services had been hired. Shortly after that, SEMC’s endowment was established to promote financial stability.
1996: The JumpStart Program began. This program flourished during the first decade of the 21st century and is now known as the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), offering an eight-day intensive museum training to museum professionals with two years’ experience or more.
2003: Moved the central offices of SEMC to Atlanta.
2005: SEMC established a Hurricane Katrina grant fund and awarded over $500,000 to museums and museum employees affected by the storm in Mississippi and Louisiana.
2010: SEMC established a partnership with Atlanta History Center where the SEMC office relocated.
2013: SEMC, the five other regional museum associations, and the American Alliance of Museums completed the first National Museum Salary Survey, the only comprehensive study of its kind for our diverse field.
2017: SEMC, the five other regional museum associations, five state museum associations, including Florida and Virginia, and the American Alliance of Museums completed the 2017 National Museum Salary Survey.
2019: With Association of African American Museums and National Association for Interpretation, SEMC co-sponsored NMAAHC’s Interpretation of African American History and Culture Workshop, presented in partnership with the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission.
2020: Throughout a year that included a global pandemic, leadership changes and postponement of the 2020 Annual Meeting due to health and safety concerns, SEMC persevered and continued to offer its members connection, communication, and consistency in a new virtual world. 2020 saw the launch of a virtual Leadership Institute: Leading for Today’s Challenges, as well as a successful virtual Program Series that offered over 600 attendees from across the county ongoing professional development in the face of great challenges.
2021: In 2021 SEMC continued to be nimble and pivot to meet the needs of its members during an ongoing pandemic. For the first time in its history, SEMC offered year-round virtual programs and a hybrid 2021 Annual Meeting which provided opportunities for the membership to attend professional training sessions either in-person or via a virtual conference platform (PheedLoop). 2021 also began a year-long evaluation of the Jekyll Island Management Institute which will be offered in 2023 and saw the launch of the Digital Empowerment Project for Small Museums, a nationwide initiative organized by the six U.S. regional museum associations and dedicated to providing free, self-paced training resources for small museums.
2022: 2022 was a transformational year for SEMC — a blending of past, present, and future in terms of operational adjustment and forward movement. In April 2022 SEMC was able to safely offer the Leadership Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. This in-person launch included stellar faculty guiding a dynamic cohort of 16 individuals committed to peer-to-peer learning focused on empathetic, inclusive leadership in today’s changing world. The summer months of 2022 brought exciting new faces and initiatives to SEMC including the addition of Heather Nowak to the SEMC staff as the organization’s first Program Administrator. SEMC also received an exciting donation to create the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund, which will be a resource to fund paid internships at small museums for years to come. A busy fall included the completion of a multi-year evaluation of the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) with an open call for instructors and applicants in preparation for the 2023 relaunch of the program. The 2022 Annual Meeting in Northwest Arkansas brought over 400 SEMC members together to network and learn how museums in the southeast are “Exhibiting Change.”
2023: In January 2023 SEMC was able to successfully relaunch the Jekyll Island Management Institute on Jekyll Island, Georgia after a two-year pause for evaluation during the pandemic. JIMI2023 included 17 stellar instructors guiding a dynamic cohort of 16 individuals committed to peer-to-peer learning. The refreshed curriculum focused on broadening the participants understanding of museum operations and current best practices of visitor-facing and behind-thescenes work in museums incorporating diversity, equity,
accessibility, and inclusion, and the use of technology into all subjects. 2023 also saw continued focus on yearround professional development through monthly virtual programming. Through an application process, SEMC was able to offer the first stipend from the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund, to support a paid internship at the Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center in Opelousas, Louisiana. A busy fall included opening the application period for the 2024 Leadership Institute and preparation and oversight of the 2023 Annual Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky that brought almost 700 SEMC members together to network and learn around the theme, “Truth Builds Community.”
2024: In April 2024 SEMC graduated a third cohort of 17 individuals from the Leadership Institute: Leading for Today’s Challenges, held in Louisville, Kentucky. 2024 also saw continued focus on year-round professional development through monthly virtual programming. Through an application process, SEMC was able to offer three stipends from the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund, to support paid internships at the Mather Museum and Interpretive Center, South Carolina Military Museum and the Georgia Writers Museum. A busy fall included opening the application period for the 2025 Jekyll Island Management Institute and preparation and oversight of the 2024 Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that brought close to 600 SEMC members together to network and learn around the theme, “Museums: Inspire-Innovate.”
Now: SEMC began 2025 with a successful Jekyll Island Management Institute, graduating the second class in the post-COVID era under the expanded and revitalized program curriculum. Other things to look forward to in 2025 are continued monthly virtual programs that offer professional development and strengthened partnerships, including collaboration on Launchpad programming with the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries geared toward student populations and emerging museum professionals. Other initiatives coming up include preparation for an evaluation of the SEMC Leadership Institute, a third round of applications for the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund and of course SEMC2025 in Montgomery, Alabama.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF SEMC2024?
“If I could describe my experience at SEMC2024 in one word, it would be transformative. I was able to sit in on sessions that truly changed the way I approached my job within my museum and motivated me to continue to push forward on my personal goals within the profession. For the first time, I was able to network with new colleagues on a different level than before. By the time I left Baton Rouge, my heart was filled, and I was ready to hit the ground running when I came back home. Thank you for extending an opportunity for me to attend this conference, it was truly impactful.”
STRATEGIC PLAN
We are proud to share with you the completed SEMC 2025–2027 Strategic Plan—a purposeful roadmap that reflects not only where we are, but where we endeavor to go as a community of museum professionals across the Southeast. Robert Bull of The Compass Group facilitated this work.
Rooted in our shared purpose and further inspired by the 2025 Annual Meeting theme, Future Forward: Reach, Remember, Reclaim, this plan is more than a set of goals—it is a call to action. It challenges us to reach beyond our comfort zones and strive to embrace innovation, equity, and collaboration. It urges us to remember the important work of those who have laid the foundations that guide our field and the communities we serve. It empowers us to reclaim and embrace our vital roles as stewards of culture, memory, and progress in a rapidly changing world. Crafted by SEMC leadership and stakeholders through a reflective process, this strategic plan affirms our commitment to supporting museums of all sizes and disciplines, fostering leadership at every level, and ensuring SEMC remains a dynamic force for connection and growth.
We invite you to explore the plan, engage with its priorities, and join us in bringing its vision to life. Together, we can build a stronger, more resilient future for museums across the Southeast.
SEMC’s Strategic Plan 2025–2027.
OUR PAST YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
During the past year, staff and leadership worked hard to keep the SEMC mission and vision primary as we continued to make necessary adjustments, engage the membership through various methods of communication, and produce quality professional development programs and publications to acknowledge the ongoing challenges and successes museums are experiencing across our region.
The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) continued to navigate operational adjustments and growth in 2024 as part of its organizational life cycle and in response to the changing museum field. SEMC has become nimble in its approach to member engagement, professional programming, networking (both virtual and in-person), and communication methods that span many digital platforms. 2024 was both a successful and challenging year for the Southeastern Museums Conference. The pace at which we operate is rapid and responsive to the continuing uncertainties of a changing arts and culture landscape. However, SEMC staff and leadership continued to focus on improving how we operate, communicate, support, gather and sustain, and we persevered.
We are pleased to share the following reflection on all SEMC accomplished as a professional organization in 2024. The SEMC staff, leadership, members, museum members, and industry
partners are strong, creative, and agile, and continue to show resilience, empathy, and determination to enact necessary changes to keep the field relevant, connected, and supportive of the communities they serve.
PROGRAMS
SEMC was able to confidently run several in-person programs in 2024 including the third Leadership Institute and a robust Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Adjustments made during the challenging pandemic years continued to inspire SEMC staff and leadership to provide professional development opportunities throughout the year in the form of virtual programs and gatherings. Staying connected and engaged during the early days of pandemic isolation was so important, and SEMC resolved to continue monthly virtual programs (now part of our operational model) to bring the southeast museum community together and offer professional
learning opportunities from the convenience of home or office. Year-round virtual programs and convenings further encourage peer-to-peer learning and camaraderie that is a hallmark of SEMC.
Accessible online training has become essential to SEMC’s mission; producing quality program offerings involves considerable time and expense for production and costs related to technology upgrades, accessibility, marketing, and event management. Operating support from SEMC partners will continue to be critical to the continued success and execution of SEMC in-person and virtual programming.
In 2024 SEMC produced 11 virtual programs in collaboration with museum professionals from across the region that have almost 1,000 views of the recordings. We also saw increased participation from non-members willing to pay nominal registration fees to access our content.
SEMC continued The Launchpad series in partnership with the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, which included a resume matching/review component as well as two virtual programs (Switching Planes: Harnessing Transferrable Skills for Success and Navigating
SEMC Council member, Eboni Belton, sharing her thoughts at Table Talk 2024.
the Ecosystem of Museum Careers) geared toward career development for emerging museum professionals and advancement in the museum field. SEMC/AAMG will continue this collaboration in 2025 for additional programming and opportunities with themes focused on enhancing networking and professional communication skills for students and emerging museums professionals.
Our teams designed and produced a 2024 Annual Meeting that provided:
• 52 professional sessions, 6 workshops and a plenary session held at The Hilton Baton Rouge and several off-site locations including the LSU Museum of Art and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum. In addition, SEMC hosted a 2024 Keynote address by cultural technologist, Brad MacDonald, which was live streamed to Facebook.
• The PheedLoop platform was accessible to all SEMC2024 attendees to gather, post, network, and find the most up-to-date information on session locations, presenters, and times. Pheedloop email blasts noted any schedule changes and communicated announcements about transportation, food offerings, and the 2024 Expo Hall. Additionally, the PheedLoop Go! app provided attendees with access to up-to-date conference information from their phones.
• 55 companies that provide services to museums were represented in the 2024 Expo Hall which also showcased the SEMC2024 publication contest winners and Student Work in Museums poster projects. SEMC welcomed many new companies to the Expo Hall in 2024 and continues to expand its corporate community.
• Attendees enjoyed evening events at many different Baton Rouge museums and sites including the LSU Museum of Art, Old State Capitol, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, LSU Rural Life Museum, Capitol Park Museum, and the Old Governor’s Mansion. Additionally, sites including Whitney Plantation, Oak Alley Plantation, The
National World War II Museum, The Historic New Orleans Collection, LSU Archives, LSU Textile and Costume Museum, William A. Brookshire Military Museum, LSU Campus Mounds, and the LSU Tiger Stadium welcomed SEMC attendees for special excursions both pre- and post-conference.
• We offered walking and running tours of downtown Baton Rouge including the Downtown Cultural Landscape tour and the Looking at Baton Rouge African American Walking tour focused on African American history in Louisiana’s capital city.
• The SEMC Council came together to activate working groups focused on the organization’s next strategic plan (2025-2027) and the membership elected new Council Directors and Officers.|
• SEMC2024 saw the continuation of an engaging roundtable discussion with 2024 Leadership Award recipients and Table Talk, a memorable evening session with direct conversation between a diverse group of participants that was important, necessary, and hopeful in terms of how our attendees interact as a SEMC community.
• SEMC emerging museum professionals and midcareers gathered to network and plan in Baton Rouge and groups of students from Spelman and Morehouse Colleges had a purposeful opportunity to converse and network with African American museum professionals attending SEMC2024. Attendees Facebooked, posted on Instagram and Linked In, and took photographs to memorialize the year.
• Sessions were divided into tracks including Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Education, Collections, Curatorial, Fundraising/Development, Leadership/ Administration, Technology, Exhibits, Emerging Museum Professionals, and Career Development.
• The 2024 Annual Meeting featured close to 200 speakers representing all types and sizes of museums, facets of the field, and career levels.
• Attendees filled out an evaluation form for each session via a QR code linked to a Google Doc, thereby allowing SEMC2024 to be an almost paperless event. A post-conference evaluation was also sent to all attendees with more than 120 respondents. Data captured informs future sessions and assists the 2025 Annual Meeting planning and SEMC Program Committee work.
• Members of the 2024 Program Committee served as “shepherds” for sessions and assisted presenters with planning for technology and other needs.
• SEMC awarded 10 travel scholarships to cover the costs of Annual Meeting registration and travel expenses. 5 additional registration/travel scholarships were awarded to Louisiana museum professionals representing small museums (budgets under $500,000) through grant funds from the
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. In addition, we offered 18 reduced-rate registrations to those committing to at least 3 volunteer hours during the conference.
• SEMC2024 once again offered an opportunity for all Annual Meeting attendees to have professional headshots taken as part of their conference registration. SEMC contracted a Baton Rouge photographer and almost 100 attendees took advantage of this service.
• The SEMC2024 Annual Meeting had 541 registrants. Multiple fall 2024 hurricanes that devastated several states in the SEMC region and several national conferences held in/near the southeast impacted 2024 attendance numbers.
Attendees enjoy being in community at the SEMC2024 Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
SEMC LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
SEMC’s third Leadership Institute ran April 7–12, 2024, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. This program was developed in partnership with the Association of African American Museums with additional support from the National Museum of African American History and Culture Office of Strategic Partnerships (NMAAHC-OSP).
The 2024 Institute hosted a cohort of 17 thoughtfully chosen by the 2024 Leadership Institute Selection Committee. All three prior Institute faculty (Robert Bull, Marsha Semmel, and Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts) returned for the 2024 program. Guest speakers included Shatavia Elder, Atlanta History Center, Joanne Jones-Rizzi, Science Museum of Minnesota and Auntaneshia Staveloz, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Office of Strategic Partnerships.
JEKYLL ISLAND MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE (JIMI)
In summer 2024, working together with Council leadership, SEMC staff facilitated the call for instructors and applicants for the 2025 Jekyll Island Management Institute.
Using a transparent rubric system, the JIMI Selection Committees narrowed large pools of applicants to create diverse cohorts of Instructors (21), and Program Participants (20) interested in filling knowledge gaps in museum management.
The program will run Jan 21–28, 2025, on Jekyll Island in partnership with the Jekyll Island Authority (via donated session space) and support from Georgia Council for the Arts, Smithsonian
Our Shared Future, Reckoning with our Racial Past Initiative, National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic
Partnerships and individual donors. JIMI will utilize the PheedLoop platform for sharing Institute materials and schedules.
OTHER PROGRAMS
• In 2024 SEMC staff facilitated hybrid Council and Program Committee mid-year meetings. At the mid-year meeting in Baton Rouge, the Council participated in the final strategic planning session with Robert Bull, President of the Compass Group and had an additional presentation from Dave Paule of Our Fundraising Search on SEMC fundraising strategies and sponsorship levels and benefits.
• Several SEMC Council members and staff participated in 2024 Museum Advocacy Day in Washington, DC and joined groups of representatives from most southeastern states
in telling our elected officials in Washington why museums matter (and will continue to matter.)
SEMC staff will be at Museum Advocacy Day 2025 to support our museum members and continue to advocate for funding and other support once again.
• This year SEMC continued to offer monthly virtual happy hours for SEMC members to drop in, relax and laugh with friends (old and new) from across the region.
FUNDRAISING
• SEMC was the recipient of close to $70,000 in generous funding from the following partners to support programming (Virtual, JIMI, Leadership Institute, Annual Meeting) and general operations:
– Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
The 2024 Leadership Institute.
– National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships
– Smithsonian Our Shared Future, Reckoning with our Racial Past inititative – Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities – Georgia Council for the Arts
• In 2022 SEMC was the recipient of a $20,000 gift to create the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund to offer financial assistance to small museums to support paid internships. This fund continued to grow in 2024 and received over $3000 in new donations. This past summer the fund was able to support three $1000 stipends (through an application process) to support paid internships at The Mather Museum and Interpretive Center (Beaufort, SC), SC Military Museum (Columbia, SC), and the Georgia Writers Museum (Eatonton, GA).
• In 2024 SEMC was the recipient of monetary gifts (ranging from $25 to $3000) toward various programs, endowments, and operations from 30+ individuals generating over $15,000 in individual support.
• In 2023 SEMC introduced the Council Cup Challenge to acknowledge individual giving and award the state that collectively contributed the most to SEMC’s year-end campaign. North Carolina won the 2023 Council Cup! The 2024/2025 Council Cup Challenge is on! We will determine the winner by totaling all contributions to SEMC general operations between June 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025. Thus far the CUP has raised over $6,000 in donations toward SEMC General Operations with North Carolina still in the lead!
SEMC STAFF, LEADERSHIP AND OPERATIONS
• In 2024 SEMC offered a fall paid internship (sponsored by SEMC industry partners) to engage a college student from Morehouse
College, Marquis Stukes, in the inner workings of organizing the 2024 Annual Meeting. In addition, SEMC was once again offered the opportunity to host a full-time paid summer intern through the Art History and Curatorial Studies Collective at Atlanta University. SEMC paid internship opportunities will continue in 2025.
• Throughout the year SEMC staff engaged more than 60 volunteers from across the region in projects including annual meeting program design, virtual programming, annual meeting registration preparation and on-site work at the 2024 annual meeting.
• In fall of 2024 SEMC transitioned Executive Officers and added five new Council members with a wealth of experience that will continue to strengthen and diversify SEMC leadership.
• This past summer, the entire SEMC Council once again participated in a SEMC Council Demographic Self-Study. The data captured in this internal self-study of the SEMC Council assisted the Nomination Committee in the ongoing development of a Council that reflects diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, skills, experiences, and expertise. The purpose of the survey is to capture a snapshot of the demographics of the current SEMC Council and acknowledge that everyone brings personal and professional contacts and life experience to SEMC, placing the organization in a stronger position to plan, manage risk, make prudent decisions, and take full advantage of opportunities. A diverse Council helps to attract and retain other talented Council members— and be in touch with the needs of the SEMC membership.
• Throughout 2024 SEMC adjusted to the new professional contract with Group Management Services implemented at the end of calendar year 2023. All payroll, HR, and staff benefits (health, dental, vision, and retirement) fall
under GMS. As part of the GMS contract, SEMC worked with HR professionals to draft its first Employee Handbook, approved by the Council at the 2024 mid-year meeting. SEMC maintains its professional services arrangement with the Atlanta History Center for office space and financial oversight/controls.
COMMUNICATIONS
• In 2024 SEMC staff produced a 2023 Annual Report, three editions (Winter/Spring, Summer, and Fall) of Inside SEMC, a monthly E-Newsletter, targeted emails to the membership, monthly acknowledgments of member birthdays and multiple special E-News communications to launch and promote various programs. In addition, SEMC
staff maintain consistent social media postings and engagement across all platforms.
• Working with both Goosepen Studio and Press and Banks Creative, we continued to enhance SEMC’s branding with professionally designed marketing materials and branded graphics to ensure that SEMC offerings are easily recognizable. Staff have begun talks with several companies about future website enhancement.
• This year we highlighted the work of 11 emerging and mid-career museum professionals in the SEMC Ones to Watch program.
• SEMC hosted two “Member Mingles” in 2024 to provide an opportunity for SEMC members
South Carolina museum professionals at Museums Advocacy Day, 2024.
Member Mingle, 2024, Atlanta, Georgia.
in Atlanta (June 2024) and New Orleans (July 2024) to gather for networking and community, learn about upcoming SEMC programs and bring potential new members into the organization. 2025 Member Mingles are planned for Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina.
UPCOMING FOR 2025
The coming years will continue to challenge SEMC as rising program costs and funding cuts in arts and culture impact SEMC capacity, revenue generation, conference attendance, and sustainability. Through purposeful strategic planning and member engagement, SEMC will continue to navigate the challenges and remain ready to meet the moment and assist the southeast museum community in finding opportunities for positive change and forward movement. It is essential for museums to continue to adapt to the current realities and think ahead to building a fundamentally different future. As recent years have taught us, change can come quickly and powerfully. SEMC will be a resource as members continue to evolve, build a different, more equitable future for the field, and recognize this unique period in our shared history as a time that calls us to bring our best.
In October 2025, the SEMC membership will convene at The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Convention Center in Montgomery, Alabama for the 2025 Annual Meeting (October 20–22). After a steady return of attendees to SEMC inperson conferences, we anticipate another robust gathering in Montgomery. There are plans to host an opening plenary session to set the tone of conference and center attendees within the spaces, culture, and communities of Montgomery. The plenary (set for Monday, October 20) will engage panelists in a moderated discussion related to the 2025 conference theme, Future Forward: Reach, Remember, Reclaim. Purposefully developed by the Montgomery local arrangements committee, the theme reflects how Montgomery museums are looking toward the future by embracing new voices and interpretations. In Montgomery, attendees will explore emerging trends and technologies in
museums, share solutions and success stories, and come together to find a way forward.
We are excited for attendees to continue to engage in direct dialogue, networking, and professional growth and development next fall in Montgomery.
In 2025, SEMC will continue to provide virtual offerings for members beginning with a program about Divisive Language Legislation and Censorship. Online sessions will remain free for SEMC members with the help of industry partner sponsorships and support.
In addition to the 2025 Jekyll Island Management Institute (January 21–28, Jekyll Island, Georgia), other exciting projects for 2025 include roll out of SEMC’s next strategic plan—2025-2027, developed by the SEMC staff, Council and additional stakeholder over the last year and a half working with Robert Bull of the Compass Group.
In spring 2025 there will be another call for member institutions to submit applications for internship funding from the Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund. SEMC staff will also begin planning for a purposeful pause of the Leadership Institute in 2026 to run a full evaluation of the program to ensure that the curriculum continues to meet the needs of current and future museum leaders during this transitional time for the field. The Leadership Institute will relaunch in 2028.
ONWARD
Although challenges always lie ahead, staff and stakeholders are committed to stabilizing finances and ensuring a sustainable, relevant professional organization. SEMC has strong leadership, dedicated staff, and loyal membership. We have gained considerable experience in planning for and navigating the adjustments needed to manage events, professional networking, learning and engagement during times of disruption. Generous funding from many SEMC partners including the Smithsonian Reckoning With our Racial Past, National Museum of African American History
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF SEMC2024?
“The entire conference felt more like a multiple-day excursion amongst new friends rather than a traditional conference considering how well-curated the panels, presenters, activities, and experiences were. I left SEMC2024 feeling motivated by the engagement with the cultural institutions and community in Baton Rouge. This is unique to SEMC, at least in my experience, as the dichotomy between conferences and their host cities is often palpable. . . . I will always remember the connections I made at SEMC2024. It truly felt like I was in community and building connections that motivated me to assess how I could replicate the warmth that SEMC2024 cultivated. Establishing a network of people so willing to support and engage with my curiosities and concerns as someone new to the field was an invaluable and formative experience.”
and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Association of African American Museums has helped us during transitional years, providing critical support to move the organization toward a sustainable future. SEMC is grateful for these partnerships. Staff and leadership will continue to work hard to strategize and enact action steps that will benefit all SEMC members and support the mission and vision by strengthening museums and museum professionals in the southeast to build a more equitable future through education and creative collaborations that connect organizations to diverse communities and spark positive, inclusive change.
It is essential for museums to continue to adapt to the current realities and think ahead to building a fundamentally different future. As recent years (and current events) have taught us, change can come quickly and powerfully. SEMC will be a resource as members continue to evolve, build a different, more equitable future for the field, and recognize this unique period in our shared history as a time that calls us to bring our best. I am proud of our SEMC community and its collective resilience as we continue to overcome all challenges and am grateful for all our members and partners.
Respectfully,
Zinnia Willits SEMC Executive Director
The 2024 Leadership Institute cohort experiences the 2024 solar eclipse together.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 ANNUAL MEETING SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS
PLATINUM SPONSORS
State of Louisiana/Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (General Conference Support)
National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships (Event Management)
GOLD SPONSORS
Our Fundraising Search (Expo Receptions)
Risk Strategies (Directors Luncheon)
Visit Baton Rouge (Conference Tote Bags and Transportation)
SILVER SPONSORS
Atelier 4 (Annual Awards Luncheon)
Collector Systems (Conference Lanyards)
Compass Group (Expo Reception Bars)
Solid Light (Attendee Headshots)
BRONZE SPONSORS
10-31 A Family Company (Expo Receptions)
Art Bridges Foundation (Educators Luncheon)
Bonsai Fine Arts (Conference T-Shirt)
Conserv (SERA Business Luncheon)
ERCO Lighting, Inc. (Expo Receptions)
Friesens (Annual Meeting Program Printing)
Haizlip Studio (Evening Event - Louisiana Art and Science Museum)
Monadnock (Expo Coffee Break)
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History (Expo Coffee Break)
2024 ANNUAL MEETING SUPPORTERS
Capitol Park Museum
Louisiana Art and Science Museum
Louisiana Old State Capitol
Louisiana Old Governor’s Mansion
LSU Museum of Art
LSU Rural Life Museum
EVENING EVENT/OFF-SITE TOUR/PROGRAM/ WORKSHOP HOST MUSEUMS AND SITES
LSU Museum of Art
Louisiana Art and Science Museum
Louisiana Old State Capitol Museum
Louisiana Old Governor’s Mansion
LSU Rural Life Museum
Capitol Park Museum
LSU University Museums
Textile and Costume Museum
William A. Brookshire Military Museum
LSU Archives
LSU Campus Mounds
LSU Tiger Stadium
Whitney Plantation, Edgard Louisiana
Oak Alley Plantation, Vacherie, Louisiana
The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, Louisiana
Looking at Baton Rouge African American Walking Tour (Joan Garner)
Downtown Cultural Landscapes Walking Tour (Anne Mahoney)
EXPO HALL INDUSTRY PARTNERS
1220 Exhibits
Art Display Essentials, a 10-31 Company (Bronze Sponsor)
A4A
Art2Art Circulating Exhibitions
Art Bridges Foundation (Bronze Sponsor)
Art Sentry
Available Light
BSM Museum
CatalogIt
Collector Systems, LLC (Silver Sponsor)
Conserv (Bronze Sponsor)
Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
CSR Consulting Services
Delta Designs
Donning Company Publishers
Donorly
Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc.
ERCO Lighting, Inc. (Bronze Sponsor)
Exhibit Concepts, Inc.
Experience Montgomery EXPLUS
Friesens (Bronze Sponsor)
Gaylord Archival
Goosepen Studio & Press
Haizlip Studio (Bronze Sponsor)
Halumin™ - Open Cylindrical™ Photography Lighting
HealyKohler Design
Hollinger Metal Edge, Inc.
HW Exhibits
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Interactive Knowledge
Lucidea
MBA Design and Display Products, Inc.
Myriad Consulting and Training
Northeast Document Conservation Center
Odyssey Preservation Software
Page Architects
Patterson Pope
Porter Art Services
Re:Discovery Software, Inc.
Relative Scale
Riggs Ward Design
Risk Strategies (Gold Sponsor)
Shibui Design
Solid Light, Inc. (Silver Sponsor)
Studio Art Quilt Associates
The Design Minds, Inc.
Tour-Mate Systems, LTD
TransformIt
Universal Fiber Optic Lighting
U.S. Art Company
Warner Museums
WTW - Fine Art, Jewelry & Specie
WonderWorld Video and Creative
Zone Display Cases
SPECIAL PROJECT SUPPORTERS
Hutchinson Design Group (SEMC Internship Stipend)
Bonsai Fine Art (SEMC2024 T-shirts)
Solid Light (Professional Headshots)
State of Louisiana/Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
(SEMC2024 Travel Scholarship)
Scott Warren (SEMC2024 Travel Scholarship)
Matt Davis
(SEMC2024 President’s Scholarship)
WHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF SEMC2024?
“My favorite SEMC20204 memory is being able to see and experience the various cultural aspects of Baton Rouge, LA while attending the conference. The people, sessions, social events and food all enhanced my overall conference experience. While many times, it feels as if conferences simply exist within a location, SEMC2024 really incorporated the host city in the planning and execution of the regional conference. I look forward to seeing what SEMC2025 in Montgomery, Alabama has to offer next year!”
Ava Noonan completed a paid internship at the South Carolina Military Museum supported by a 2024 Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Stipend.
THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS
ANNUAL MEETING
American Printing House for the Blind/The Dot Experience
Atelier 4
Bonsai Fine Art
Charity Proud Communications Electronic Design
Crozier
Design Minds
DLR Group
Donna Lawrence Productions
Donorly
Erco Lighting
E & S Gallery
Kentucky Historical Society
Kentucky Humanities
Kentucky Museum and Heritage Alliance
KNBA Architects
Louisville Tourism
National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships
Signarama
Smithsonian, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past
Solid Light
Solomon Group
South Union Shaker Village
Our Fundraising Search
Odyssey by History IT
Risk Strategies
Riverside: The Farnsley-Moreman Landing
Riggs Ward Design
The Compass Group
USA Image
Warner Museums
Your Part-Time Controller
ANNUAL MEETING SCHOLARSHIPS
Matthew Davis
Danielle Hatch
Heather Nowak
Ashleigh Oatts
Michael (Scott) Warren
ENDOWMENT
(JANUARY 1, 2023 –DECEMBER 31, 2024)
Anonymous donation in honor of Graig Shaak
George Bassi
Charles (Tom) Butler
David Butler
Mary Hauser
Michael Hudson
Elise LeCompte
Darcie MacMahon
Nathan Moehlmann
Rosalind Martin
Doug Noble
Willam Paul, Jr.
Graig Shaak
Robert and Nancy Sullivan
Kristen Miller Zohn
Zinnia Willits
GENERAL OPERATING
Scott Alvey
Anonymous Donation in Memory of Mr. Davis in honor of his son Matthew Davis.
Rebecca Bush
Matthew Davis
Program Committee, 2024.
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation
Hutchinson Design Group
Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
Christa McCay
Heather Nowak
Lauren Pacheco
Catherine Pears
Susan Perry
Michelle Schulte
Michael Scott
Deborah Rose Van Horn
Ahmad Ward
Heather Marie Wells
Lance Wheeler
Crystal Wimerr
2024 LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
Tafeni English
National Museum of African American History and Culture – Office of Strategic Partnerships
Smithsonian, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past
HANDUMY JEAN TAHAN INTERNSHIP FUND
Rebecca Bush
Elise LeCompte
Joy Tahan Ruddell
Joshua Whitfield
LA PAGLIA FUND
Elise LeCompte
MARTHA BATTLE JACKSON FUND
Angie Albright
Anonymous donation in memory of Emma Delean Taylor in honor of her daughter, Deitrah Taylor
THANK YOU TO OUR INSTITUTIONAL AND CORPORATE MEMBERS
INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS
21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky
A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce, Florida
Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts/ AEIVA, Birmingham, Alabama
Adsmore Museum, Princeton, Kentucky
Aiken County Historical Museum, Aiken, South Carolina
Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium, Birmingham, Alabama
Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama
Alabama Music Hall of Fame, Tuscumbia, Alabama
Albany Museum of Art, Albany, Georgia
Alexandria Museum of Art, Alexandria, Louisiana
Altama Museum, Vidalia, Georgia
Anderson County Museum, Anderson, South Carolina
Andrew Jackson Foundation, Nashville, Tennessee
Andrew Low House Museum, Savannah, Georgia
Anniston Museum of Natural History, Anniston, Alabama
Appalachian State University Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Boone, North Carolina
Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Florida
Arkansas Air and Military Museum, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas National Guard Museum, North Little Rock, Arkansas
Arkansas State Parks, Little Rock, Arkansas
Arlington Historic House, Birmingham, Alabama
Art Bridges, Bentonville, Arkansas
Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota, Florida
Art Museum of the University of Memphis (AMUM), Memphis, Tennessee
Artis--Naples, The Baker Museum, Naples, Florida
Asheville Art Museum, Asheville, North Carolina
Atlanta History Center, Atlanta Georgia
Attleboro Area Industrial Museum, Attleboro, Massachusetts
Augusta Museum of History, Augusta, Georgia
Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia, Dalton, Georgia
Bartow History Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
Baton Rouge Gallery - Center for Contemporary Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Beaches Museum, Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, North Carolina
Belle Meade Historic Site & Winery, Nashville, Tennessee
Berkeley County Museum, Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Bernard A. Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw, Georgia
Bessie Smith Cultural Center, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Biblical History Center, LaGrange, Georgia
Billy Graham Library, Charlotte, North Carolina
Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama
Birthplace of Country Music Museum, Bristol, Tennessee
Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Booth Western Art Museum, Carterville, Georgia
Boyle County Public Library, Danville, Kentucky
C. Williams Rush Museum of African-American Arts & Culture, Kingstree, South Carolina
Caldwell Heritage Museum, Lenoir, North Carolina
Calhoun County Museum, St. Matthews, S outh Carolina
Calico Rock Community Foundation, Calico Rock, Arkansas
Cameron Art Museum, Wilmington, North Carolina
Cape Fear Museum, Wilmington, North Carolina
Carnegie Center for Art and History, New Albany, Indiana
Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, Alabama
Carter-Coile Country Doctors Museum, Winterville, Georgia
Catawba Science Center, Hickory, North Carolina
Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta, Georgia
Charlotte Museum of History, Charlotte, North Carolina
Cheekwood, Nashville, Tennessee
Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home, Rome, Georgia
Children’s Hands on Museum, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Children’s Museum of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, Ohio
City of Raleigh - Historic Resources & Museum Program, Raleigh, North Carolina
Clemson Area African American Museum, Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson University’s Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson, South Carolina
Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
Coastal Georgia Historical Society, St. Simons Island, Georgia
Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina
Computer Museum of America, Roswell, Georgia
Conrad-Caldwell House Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Cook Museum of Natural Science, Decatur, Alabama
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Nashville, Tennessee
Creative Liberties Artist Studios & Galleries, Sarasota, Florida
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas
Culture & Heritage Museums, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Customs House Museum and Cultural Center, Clarksville, Tennessee
Dade Heritage Trust, Miami, Florida
Daura Gallery - University of Lynchburg, Lynchburg, Virginia
David J. Sencer CDC Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
DeKalb History Center, Decatur, Georgia
Delta Cultural Center, Helena, AR
Department of Historic Museums, Georgia College, Milledgeville, Georgia
Discovery Park of America, Inc., Union City, Tennessee
Doris Ulmann Galleries and Berea College Art Collection, Berea, Kentucky
Drayton Hall, Charleston, South Carolina
Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida
Earl Scruggs Center, Shelby, North Carolina
East Tennessee Historical Society, Knoxville, Tennessee
Edisto Island Open Land Trust, Edisto Island, South Carolina
Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University, Roanoke, Virginia
Finger Lakes Boating Museum, Hammondsport, New York
Florence County Museum, Florence, South Carolina
Florida CraftArt, St. Petersburg, Florida
Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida
Folk Pottery Museums of NE GA, Sautee Nacoochee Cultural Center, Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia
Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Friends of Cassidy Park Museums, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Frist Art Museum, Nashville, Tennessee
FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, Florida
FSU Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, Florida
Funk Heritage Center of Reinhardt University, Waleska, Georgia
Gadsden Arts Center & Museum, Quincy, Florida
Gainesboro Modern, Gainesboro, Tennessee
Gaston County Museum of Art & History, Dallas, North Carolina
Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia
Gibbes Museum of Art, Charleston, South Carolina
Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, North Carolina
Gregg Museum of Art & Design, Raleigh, North Carolina
Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, Charleston, South Carolina
Hampton University Museum, Hampton, Virginia
Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa, Florida
Hermann-Grima & Gallier Historic Houses, New Orleans, Louisiana
Hickory Museum of Art, Hickory, North Carolina
Hidden River Cave & the American Cave Museum, Horse Cave, Kentucky
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia
High Point Museum, High Point, North Carolina
Hilliard Art Museum, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana
Historic Arkansas Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas
Historic Augusta, Inc., Augusta, Georgia
Historic Cane Hill, Inc., Cane Hill, Arkansas
Historic Clayborn Temple, Memphis, Tennessee
Historic Columbia, Columbia, South Carolina
Historic Dumfries, Virginia & The Weems-Botts Museum, Dumfries, Virginia
Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Historic Natchez Foundation, Natchez, Mississippi
Historic Oakland Foundation, Atlanta, Georgia
Historic Paris Bourbon County Hopewell Museum, Paris, Kentucky
Historic Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Historical Foundation of Hillsborough and Orange County/Orange County Historical Museum, Hillsborough, North Carolina
Historical Society of Western Virginia, Roanoke, Virginia
History Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
History Museum of Mobile, Mobile, Alabama
HistoryMiami, Miami, Florida
Horry County Museum, Conway, South Carolina
Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, West Virginia
Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, Alabama
International African American Museum, Charleston, South Carolina
International Arts Center, Troy, Alabama
International Civil Rights Center & Museum, Greensboro, North Carolina
International Museum of the Horse, Lexington, Kentucky
International Towing & Recovery Museum, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Iredell Museums, Statesville, North Carolina
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum, Jupiter, Florida
Kaminski House Museum, Georgetown, SC
Kentucky Department of Parks, Frankfort, Kentucky
Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, Kentucky
Kentucky Native American Heritage Museum, Inc, Corbin, Kentucky
KMAC Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Knox Heritage & Historic Westwood, Knoxville, Tennessee
Old Governor’s Mansion, Baton Rouge, 2024.
Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, Tennessee
Lam Museum of Anthropology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi
Leepa-Rattner Museum, Tarpon Springs, Florida
Liberty County Historical Society, Hinesville, Georgia
Liberty Hall Historic Site, Frankfort, Kentucky
Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, Farmville, Virginia
Loudoun Museum, Leesburg, Virginia
Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana State University Textile & Costume Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisiana’s Old State Capitol, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Louisville Water Tower / Louisville Water, Louisville, Kentucky
Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
LSU Rural Life Museum, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Magnolia Mound Plantation, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Maier Museum of Art, Randolph College, Lynchburg, Virginia
Mandarin Museum & Historical Society, Jacksonville, Florida
Marietta Museum of History, Marietta, Georgia
Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta, Georgia
Marine Corps Museum Parris Island, Parris Island, South Carolina
Maritime Museum Louisiana, Madisonville, Louisiana
Marlboro County Museum, Bennettsville, South Carolina
Matheson History Museum, Gainesville, Florida
McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Knoxville, Tennessee
Memorial Hall Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, Tennessee
Mennello Museum of American Art, Orlando, Florida
Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Middleton Place Foundation, Charleston, South Carolina
Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum, Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience, Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Inc., Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Jackson, MS
Mobile Museum of Art, Mobile, Alabama
MOCA Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Montgomery, Alabama
Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland, South Carolina
Morris Museum of Art, Augusta, Georgia
Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park, Florida
Mosaic Templars Cultural, Little Rock, Arkansas
Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, Jekyll Island, Georgia
MoSH (Museum of Science and History) - Pink Palace, Memphis, Tennessee
Muscarelle Museum of Art, Williamsburg, Virginia
Museo de Arte de Ponce, Ponce , Puerto Rico
Museum & Gallery at Bob Jones University, Greenville, SC
Museum Center at 5ive Points, Cleveland, Tennessee
Museum of Art – DeLand, DeLand, Florida
Museum of Arts & Sciences, Daytona Beach, Florida
Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami, North Miami, Florida
Museum of Design Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
Museum of Durham History, Durham, North Carolina
Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind, Louisville, Kentucky
Museum of the Cherokee Indian, Cherokee, North Carolina
Museum of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood, Mississippi
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, Winchester, Virginia
Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, New Orleans, Louisiana
Myriad Training and Consulting, Gainesville, Florida
National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia
National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee
National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, Virginia
National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Pooler, Georgia
National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Louisville, Kentucky
National Sporting Library & Museum, Middleburg, Virginia
NC Division of State Historic Sites and Properties, Kinston, North Carolina
NELA Delta African American Heritage Museum, Monroe, Louisiana
New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans Museum of Art, New Orleans, Louisiana
Newcomb Art Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana
North Carolina American Indian Heritage Commission, Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina
North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina
Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, Massachusetts
Northeast Georgia History Center, Gainesville, Georgia
Oak Alley Foundation, Vacherie, Louisiana
Office of Historic Alexandria, Alexandria, Virginia
Oglethorpe University Museum of Art (OUMA), Atlanta, Georgia
Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, Biloxi, Mississippi
Old State House Museum, Little Rock, Arkansas
Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center, Opelousas, Louisiana
Orange County Regional History Center, Orlando, Florida
Orlando Museum of Art, Inc, Orlando, Florida
Patrick Henry Memorial Foundation, Brookneal, Virginia
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Pinellas County Historical Society/Heritage Village, Largo, Florida
Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida
Posada Art Foundation, San Francisco, California
President James K. Polk State Historic Site/NC Dept of Natural & Cultural Resources, Pineville, North Carolina
Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
River Discovery Center, Paducah, Kentucky
Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking, Atlanta, Georgia
Rogers Historical Museum, Rogers, Arkansas
Roots 101
Salem Museum & Historical Society, Salem, Virginia
Sarasota Art Museum, Sarasota, Florida
Savannah River Site Museum, Aiken, South Carolina
SC Confederate Relic Room & Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film, Atlanta, Georgia
Schiele Museum, Gastonia, North Carolina
Scott Family Amazeum, Bentonville, Arkansas
Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, Springdale, Arkansas
Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, Fort Myers, Florida
South Carolina Military Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia, South Carolina
South Union Shaker Village, Auburn, Kentucky
Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, Alabama
Spalding County Our Legacy Museum, Griffin, Georgia
Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
Spotsylvania County Museum, Fredericksburg, Virginia
SQT Museum, Carrollton, Georgia
Sumter County Museum, Sumter, South Carolina
Swannanoa Valley Museum, Black Mountain, North Carolina
Swope Art Museum, Terre Haute, Indiana
Tampa Baseball Museum at the Al Lopez House, Tampa, Florida
Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa, Florida
Tampa Museum of Art, Inc., Tampa, Florida
Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia
Telfair Museums, Savannah, Georgia
Tellus Science Museum, Cartersville, Georgia
Tennessee River Museum, Savannah, Tennessee
Tennessee State Museum, Nashville, Tennessee
Texas Historical Commission, Austin, Texas
The Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, Florida
The Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina
The Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia
The Columbus Museum, Columbus, Georgia
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Jacksonville, Florida
The Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis, Tennessee
The Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture, Knoxville, Tennessee
The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky
The Florida Holocaust Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
The Guntersville Museum, Guntersville, Alabama
The Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Mitford Museum, Hudson, North Carolina
The Museum, Greenwood, South Carolina
The National WWII Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana
The Parthenon, Nashville, Tennessee
The Ralph Foster Museum, Point Lookout, Missouri
The Speed Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
The Wolfsonian – FIU, Miami Beach, Florida
Thomas County Historical Society, Thomasville, Georgia
Thronateeska Heritage Foundation, Inc., Albany, Georgia
Torggler Fine Arts Center, Newport News, Virginia
Tryon Palace, New Bern, North Carolina
Tubman Museum, Macon, Georgia
Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site (National Park Service), Tuskegee Institute, Alabama
Union County Heritage Museum, New Albany, Mississippi
University of Alabama Museums, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
University of Richmond Museums, Richmond, Virginia
University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa, Florida
Upcountry History Museum-Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina
Virginia Beach History Museums, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Museum of Transportation, Roanoke, Virginia
Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum, Wilson, North Carolina
Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
Waterworks Visual Arts Center, Salisbury, North Carolina
Watson-Brown Foundation, Inc., Thomson, Georgia
Weatherspoon Art Museum UNCG, Greensboro, North Carolina
West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen, Louisiana
West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Charleston, West Virginia
Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina
William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum, Atlanta, Georgia
Windgate Museum of Art at Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas
Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, Alabama
Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, Kentucky
CORPORATE MEMBERS
Business Associate
Arts InCommunity (division of InCommunity), Atlanta, Georgia
Backlog, St. Louis, Missouri
Banks Creative, Charleston, South Carolina
Chickasaw Inkana Foundation, Tupelo, Mississippi
Cortina Productions, McLean, Virginia
Crystalizations Systems Inc, Holbrook, New York
CSR-Consulting, Solutions, Results, Atlanta, Georgia
DaVinci Development Collaborative, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia
DLR Group, Orlando, Florida
Helms Briscoe, Alpharetta, Georgia
Houser Walker Architecture, Atlanta, Georgia
Hutchinson Design Group, Alexandria, Virginia
K. Norman Berry Associates, Louisville, Kentucky
MuseumINSIDER, United Kingdom
William G. Pomeroy Foundation, Syracuse, New York
Willis Towers Watson - Fine Art, Jewelry & Specie, Potomac, Maryland
ZOMA, Matthews, North Carolina
Zone Display Cases, Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Canada
Corporate Friend
10-31, Inc., Columbia, New Jersey
1220 Exhibits, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee
A4A Designs, Louisville, Kentucky
Alexander Haas, Atlanta, Georgia
Art Sentry, Cleveland, OH
Association of African American Museums (AAAM), Washington, District of Columbia
Atelier 4, Charlotte, North Carolina
Available Light, Raleigh, North Carolina
Bonsai Fine Arts Inc, Glen Burnie, Maryland
Boston Productions, Inc., Norwood, Massachusetts
Brunk Auctions, Asheville, North Carolina
CatalogIt, Oakland, California
Charityproud, North Charleston, South Carolina
Christie’s, New York, New York
Cinebar Productions, Inc., Newport News, Virginia
Collector Systems, LLC., New York, New York
Communications Electronic Design, Louisville, Kentucky
Conserv, Birmingham, Alabama
Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Crozier Fine Arts, New York, New York
Cultural Heritage Partners PLLC, Richmond, Virginia
Displays Fine Art Services, Arlington, Texas
dmdg2, Savannah, GA
Donna Lawrence Productions, Louisville, Kentucky
Donorly, New York, New York
Dorfman Museum Figures, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
E&S Gallery, Louisville, Kentucky
ERCO Lighting, Inc., Edison, New Jersey
Exhibit Concepts, Inc., Vandalia, Ohio
Explus, Inc., Sterling, Virginia
Friesens Corporation, Brunswick, Georgia
Frina Design, Lithia, Florida
Goosepen Studio & Press, Hickory, North Carolina
Haizlip Studio, Memphis, Tennessee
HealyKohler Design, Washington, District of Columbia
HW Exhibits, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Interactive Knowledge, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina
Lucidea, British Columbia
MBA Design & Display Products Corporation, Exton, Pennsylvania
Monadnock Media, Inc., Hatfield, Massachusetts
Nabholz Construction Corporation, Conway, Arkansas
Odyssey by HistoryIT, Portland, Maine
Our Fundraising Search, Atlanta, Georgia
Patterson Pope, Inc., Norcross, Georgia
Porter Art Services, New Orleans, Louisiana
Relative Scale, Raleigh, North Carolina
Riggs Ward Design, Richmond, Virginia
Risk Strategies, New York, New York
SAQA Global Exhibitions, Beavercreek, Ohio
Solid Light, Inc, Louisville, Kentucky
Solomon Group, New Orleans, Louisiana
STQRY, Rochester, New York
The Design Minds, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia
Tour-Mate Systems, Toronto Canada
Transformit, Gorham, Maine
Transport Consultants International, Lithia, Florida
Universal Fiber Optic Lighting USA, LLC., Sarasota, Florida
Upland Exhibits, Newton, Kansas
USA Image, Louisville, Kentucky
USART, Orlando, Florida
Warner Museums, Birmingham, Alabama
Your Part-Time Controller (YPTC), Philadelphia, PA
Corporate Partner
Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Charleston, South Carolina
National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution–Office of Strategic Partnerships, Washington, District of Columbia
Smithsonian Institution/Reckoning with Our Racial Past, Silver Spring, Maryland
SEMC annual meeting exhibitor Tahe Zalal with Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2024.
Calinda Lee, SEMC President.
SEMC COUNCIL
OFFICERS DIRECTORS
Dr. Calinda Lee President clee@sourcescrm.com
Principal, Sources Cultural Resources Management, LLC, Atlanta, GA
Ahmad Ward Vice President award@exploremitchelville.org
Executive Director, Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, Hilton Head Island, SC
Deborah Rose Van Horn Secretary Deborah.vanhorn@gmail.com
Senior Curator, Walt Disney Imagineering, Lake Buena Vista, FL
Scott Alvey Treasurer Scott.Alvey@ky.gov
Director, Kentucky Historical Society, Frankfort, KY
Matthew S. Davis Past President mdavis4@wlu.edu
Director of Institutional History Museum, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA
Heather Marie Wells Past President heathermarie.wells@crystalbridges.org
Digital Media Project Manager, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR (Through Fall 2024)
Eboni Belton eab714@gmail.com
Lead Gallery Attendant, Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina,Columbia, SC
Tafeni English tafeni.english@splcenter.org
Director, Alabama State Office, Southern Poverty Law Center/Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, AL
Katie Ericson-Baskin kericso@emory.edu
Director of Education, Michael C. Carlos Museum, Atlanta, GA
Matt Farah Matt.Farah@hnoc.org
Exhibition Coordinator, Historic New Orleans Collection, New Orleans, LA
Alicia Franck
Alicia.franck@nationalww2museum.org
Vice President and Chief Development Officer, The National World War II Museum, New Orleans, LA
Tamara Herring therring@morrisheritagecenter.org
Executive Director,
Morris Center for Lowcountry Heritage, Ridgeland, SC
Felicia Knise Ingram Felicia.Ingram@dncr.nc.gov
Head of Interpretation, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC
Brigette Janea Jones
Brigette@arabiaalliance.org
Assistant Executive Director, Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, Stonecrest, GA
Pamela D. C. Junior pamela1junior@gmail.com
Former Director, Two Mississippi Museums, Mississippi Department of Archives & History, Jackson, MS (Through Fall 2024)
Katy Malone kmalon15@utk.edu
Manager of Education and Community Engagement, McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, Knoxville, TN
Rosalind Martin rmartin@knoxart.org
Director of Education, Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN (Through Fall 2024)
SEMC STAFF
ZINNIA WILLITS zwillits@semcdirect.net
SEMC Executive Director
Michelle Schulte mschulte@lsu.edu
Chief Curator, LSU Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, LA
Deitrah J. Taylor dtaylorhistorian@gmail.com
Public Historian, Milledgeville, GA
Scott Warren Scott.warren@dncr.nc.gov
Director,
President James K. Polk Historic Site, Pineville, NC
Lance Wheeler lwheeler@thewright.org
Vice President of Learning and Engagement, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, MI (Through Fall 2024)
CARLA PHILLIPS cphillilps@semcdirect.net
SEMC Manager of Communications and Member Services
HEATHER NOWAK hnowak@semcdirect
SEMC Program Administrator
A SNAPSHOT OF SEMC’S REACH IN 2024
SOCIAL MEDIA STATS
Facebook Followers: 2,800
Instagram Followers: 1,674
LinkedIn Group Followers: 1,670
SEMC MEMBERSHIP
Individuals Institutions Corporations
CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP
INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP BY STATE
Institutional members by state
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
SEMC Endowment at end of FY24: $698,543
SEMC received $141,049 in contributions and grants in FY24
*Note FY24 is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024
You can support SEMC through contributions toward SEMC General Operations; SEMC Endowment; SEMC Leadership Institute; Martha Battle Jackson Fund (supports sustainability of the Jekyll Island Management Institute/JIMI); Peter S. LaPaglia Scholarship Fund (supports JIMI tuition scholarships); Handumy Jean Tahan Internship Fund; and Legacy Society (Planned Giving) or other activities by donating online at www. SEMCdirect.net. SEMC created the Legacy Society to recognize the generosity of individuals who have included the Southeastern Museums Conference in their wills or estate plans. A planned gift will make a difference in the services of SEMC and the future development of the museum profession. For more information on planned giving please contact Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director at zwillits@semcdirect.net
Contributions
Membership Revenue
Registration and Tuition
Sales Revenue
Interfund Transfers
Insurance, Taxes, and Permits
Advertising/Publications
Professional Service/Sta
Administrative Expenses expenses
Travel (employee/non-employee)
Program Costs
front cover: SEMC Executive Director Zinnia Willits, addressing the 2024 Legacy Reception at the Old Governor’s Mansion, Baton Rouge.
back cover: SEMC Staff, left to right, Zinnia Willits, Marquis Stukes, 2024 SEMC intern, Carla Phillips, and Heather Nowak.
