Governance Updates

Greetings Friends.

My name is Cameron Patterson and I serve as the Senior Partner for Strategic Initiatives with the Moton Museum and a member of the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM) Council. During our time together last year in Harrisonburg, the VAM Council shared with members that we had been hard at work planning for the organization's first strategic plan since the pandemic. Thanks to the feedback provided by our membership, that plan was adopted later that summer and the final version was shared with the membership and is available on the VAM website. Upon completion of the strategic plan, Immediate Past President Scott Stroh established the Governance Task Force.

The work of the Governance Task Force has resulted in a series of recommendations that have been built around alignment with our strategic direction, organizational effectiveness as we reviewed our structure, adaptability as we meet the needs of a changing landscape for museums, and feedback from our members, and ensuring that VAM demonstrates good Governance practice. We are pleased to share key findings that have been adopted by the VAM Council as we move forward.  

New Executive Leadership & Committee Structure:

To execute our Strategic Plan and the goals and outcomes that were built around Member Programs and Benefits, Advocacy, Marketing & Outreach, and Governance and Organizational effectiveness the VAM Council has moved to realign our committee structure. Moving forward we will have the following standing committees that include a new Community Engagement Committee, a new Governance Committee, Resource Development Committee, and a re-envisioning of the Member Engagement Committee. We believe this structure aligns with the new strategic plan that has been adopted and will help us to focus on some key priorities for the organization moving forward. Each of these committees will be led by a Vice President who will serve on the Executive Committee of the VAM Council.

Strengthening our Council Membership & Regional Approach:

Attracting a strong and diverse group of leaders to the VAM Council that bring a wide variety of experiences continues to be a priority. We continue to nominate strong members to serve on the VAM Council. I’m also pleased to share that we continue to recognize the importance of regional balance and strength within the Council and are excited through the recommendation of the Governance Task Force to have brought back the regional position for DC as we recommit the organization as one supporting our Virginia and DC Museum Communities. We have also added additional strength and representation in Southwest, Virginia. And finally, to promote inclusivity and the addition of additional board knowledge, we have also brought forth four additional at-large positions.

The work of building a strong culture of governance within our organization is ongoing work. In addition to the thoughts elevated by our task force, we also recognize through the establishment of our Governance Committee that we will continue to support VAM through the thoughts elevated by our membership and Council. Thank you all for your continued support and I’m happy to speak with anyone individually following today’s meeting or after the conference. Thanks!

Cam Patterson
VAM Council Secretary
Governance Task Force Chairperson