I feel a lot of pride as I look back at my second year as President of AAMV. Pride at what the board has been able to accomplish in an ongoing and tiresome pandemic, and pride at the transformations I see and hear about everyday in museum volunteer programs across America. This past year did not bring that much anticipated end of the pandemic and a return to normal. Instead museums sought a new normal and built or changed programs from there. Volunteer leaders took the opportunity of the pause the pandemic had presented to improve their programs, to innovate their practice, and to adapt to ongoing uncertainty. This resiliency will serve our field, our organizations and our volunteers well.

Last fall AAMV held a board retreat (a first in recent memory) to help us reframe what we are as an organization and where we want to be. This allowed us to evaluate current projects, shed or pause those that were not in alignment with our current goals and renew focus on new or ongoing priorities. The retreat helped us focus on how we can incorporate diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion principles throughout our organization.

Some highlights of our accomplishments of the past year include: