Revealing the Strategic Plan

VAM Council Adopts New Strategic Plan

As I shared with you all last December and again at our conference this spring in Harrisonburg, VAM’s Council has been hard at work planning for the future of our museum association—our first strategic planning effort since before the pandemic. 

In an effort to hear first from our members directly, VAM launched the Community Conversations Initiative in 2021, hosting a series of virtual focus groups and in-person charettes throughout the Commonwealth over a six-month period. Armed with this input from members, VAM adopted a new Mission Statement, Vision, and Values in November. We then turned back to you, our members, in March, to collect input on early planning drafts, and spent the last few months revising the plans and aligning them with our budget and operational processes.

The Plan linked below lays out not only an aspirational vision of a collaborative museum community serving as cornerstones throughout our Commonwealth, but also the more concrete goals and objectives that will serve as the roadmap to accomplishing that vision in the days ahead. 

We’ll include updates on our progress in future e-news and welcome your continued input and ideas. VAM is only as strong as you—our members—and in this plan we chart the course for VAM’s future: advocating for the importance of museums in our communities and strengthening the cultural sector by supporting museum professionals throughout their careers with professional development, networking, and thought leadership.

Thank you for supporting us through our planning effort.

 Read the Strategic Plan here.

Karen L Daly

VAM Planning & Resources Committee Chair, President-Elect

President, Stratford Hall