The Museum Education Roundtable (MER) is seeking qualified, committed, and diverse professionals for election to the MER Board of Directors!
About the Museum Education Roundtable (MER)
The mission of the Museum Education Roundtable is to inspire innovative thinking for the field through engagement with scholarly and practice-based content explored in the Journal of Museum Education. The JME is the only peer-reviewed journal for the field. Through the JME and related projects and activities, MER advances the museum field by promoting scholarship, dialogue, and community related to critical issues in museum education.
The vision of MER is to empower museum educators to transform the field through learning, community building, and innovative practice.
MER Equity Statement
MER is committed to the core values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We believe that as an organization, we have a professional responsibility to address the intersecting histories of oppression and resistance that shape hierarchies of privilege and power related to race, gender identity, class, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, ability and national origin and their role in museum education. We are committed to serving as advocates for these values to the wider field and through the Journal of Museum Education.
About the Board of Directors and Opportunities to Contribute
The MER Board of Directors provide leadership and oversight to the Museum Education Roundtable and the Journal of Museum Education through sound, ethical, financial, and legal governance policies. There are opportunities for Board members to exercise and build skills, knowledge, and abilities that enhance or extend beyond the scope of members’ work at their organizations. The Board is intentional in creating a work environment rooted in collaboration, shared leadership, and reflexive practice.
MER Board members attend one retreat (in-person and/or virtual), quarterly virtual board meetings, and monthly action team meetings. In addition to these scheduled meetings, board members are expected to do individual work to prepare for meetings, and reach goals and deadlines that amount to about 1-4 hours per week. Board members serve on one of three action teams: Editorial, which develops themes along with the JME Co-Editors and reviews guest edited proposals for the Journal of Museum Education; Communications, which grows and engages the JME readership and MER membership by leveraging JME content through social media, emails, and the Museum Visions blog; and Sustainability, which stewards MER’s long-term financial sustainability and organizational health.
Some board members also serve in officer roles (i.e., President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary) or as team co-chairs (Editorial, Communications, and Sustainability). All MER board members perform necessary work to produce and promote the JME and to advance MER’s goals. Board members have many opportunities to work on and/or create tasks that are meaningful to them. Tasks can range from taking notes, writing/editing/peer reviewing, strategic planning, program development, etc.
Terms, Qualifications, Requirements and Benefits of Board Service
Terms:
- Board members serve a three-year term, which coincides with the MER fiscal cycle from October 2024 to September 2027.
- Board members selected will attend the Board’s annual July/August Retreat, held this year from July 31st- August 2nd, 2024.
- Board members may elect to serve an additional term of one or two more years following their three-year term
Qualifications:
- Commitment and experiences applicable to the advancement of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion in the museum field
- Meaningful personal and professional experiences with museum education
- Leadership/governance experience with an interest in board leadership roles
- Ability, desire, and commitment to being hands-on, self-motivated, and working fluidly with a remote board
- For this recruitment cycle we are especially interested in candidates who have:
- Experiences related to financial/budget management, fundraising, marketing, membership growth
- Writing, editing, and/or peer review experience
- Mid to senior management experience and/or other board experience
Specific Requirements:
- All incoming and current board members are required to participate in the annual (in-person and/or virtual) Board Retreat each July/August, held this year from July 31st- August 2nd, 2024.
- Active participation in all scheduled board, action team, and task force meetings which take place between 10:00 am to 5:00 pm EST
- Active assistance with various board tasks as assigned
- Board members (or their institutions) must bear the cost of board participation, specifically travel and lodging costs associated with attendance at the annual retreat if in-person. MER offers each board member a $250 yearly stipend to assist with board participation costs. MER also covers the cost of some meals during the retreat.
- Membership in the Museum Education Roundtable. The individual board member or board member’s institution bears this cost. Scholarship funds are available should a board member or the board member’s institution be unable to afford this expense.
Benefits:
- Leadership development: Board service can be an important avenue for museum professionals to expand their leadership skills. Additionally, all board members have the opportunity to serve in leadership roles.
- Professional networking: The MER Board of Directors is made up of museum professionals from around the world. Additionally, we work with diverse editors and authors to produce the Journal of Museum Education. Service on the board will broaden your professional network.
- Professional skill development: Board service is a great way for museum educators to nurture skills vital in the museum and non-profit field, such as non-profit management, marketing and communications, academic publishing, budget management, and more.
Application Process
MER is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, gender identity, age, class, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, ability or national origin. MER is committed to advancing equity and diversity in the museum education field. As such, we especially welcome applications from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) candidates, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, multilingual persons, and others with expertise or knowledge in productively engaging in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility work. MER is committed to the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact: [email protected].
Completed application forms and a copy of the applicant’s resume must be received via Google Forms by April 12, 2024 at 11:59 PST to be considered for the 2024 board member recruitment cycle.
Interested applicants should download and complete the MER 2024 Board Application Form which will assist them in describing their interest in and qualifications for active board service.
Individuals and organizations are also encouraged to share this opportunity and invite others to apply. If you know an excellent board candidate, please encourage them to apply and reach out to MER with questions at [email protected].
Selection Process
Finalist candidates will be contacted to schedule a virtual meeting with 1-2 current or former MER Board members.
Final MER board member selection is determined by Board vote, followed by a vote of the full MER membership in spring 2024.
All applicants will be notified of their status in spring 2024.