Strengthening the History Workforce: An AASLH Virtual Summit
Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 04/13/2026 at 12:00 PM (EDT)
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Register
- Nonmember - $85
- Academic Program - $65
- Academic Faculty - $65
- Academic Student - $50
- Partner Institution - $65
- Partner Institution Staff - $65
- Premier Partner Institution - $65
- Premier Institution Staff - $65
- Platinum Partner Institution - $65
- Platinum Institution Staff - $65
- Complimentary - $65
- Individual Membership - $65
- Subscription Services - $65
- Institutional Budget - $65
- Institutional Staff - $65
- Individual Student - $50
- Institutional Member - $65
- Individual Student Renew - $50
Join us for a two-day summit exploring new data about the history workforce and how we can use it to create a stronger, more equitable field.
In 2025, AASLH conducted the National Survey of History Practitioners, a research effort to understand who works in the public history field, how they're paid, and how they feel about their work. After gathering nearly 4,000 responses from practitioners at museums, historical societies, historic sites, government agencies, and beyond, this data offers crucial insights into both the strengths and vulnerabilities of our field. The findings reveal significant challenges related to equity, sustainability, and career advancement, but also highlight opportunities to strengthen the profession and better support those who dedicate their lives to history.
This two-day virtual summit will bring practitioners, leaders, and stakeholders together to reflect on the survey results and chart a path forward. Through keynote discussions, thematic panels, and small-group conversations, participants will explore what the data mean for their own careers and institutions, consider strategies to address systemic challenges, and identify ways the field can build a more inclusive, resilient workforce. The summit aims to transform research into action, sparking conversations and collaborations that will help us build a stronger, more sustainable field.
Learning Objectives
Attendees at the virtual summit will . . .
- Gain a shared understanding of the current state of the public history workforce, including trends across age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
- Discuss how this new workforce data can inform the field’s response to pay inequity, burnout, diversity, and other persistent challenges to recruiting, retaining, and supporting public history practitioners.
- Feel inspired to explore new strategies, opportunities, and actions that can support more accessible pathways into and through the field, cultivate more inclusive workplaces, and better position history organizations to represent the communities they serve.
Intended Audience
- Staff and volunteers at history organizations
- Institutional leaders and HR professionals
- Thought leaders, researchers, funders, and stakeholders interested in cultural sector work
- Emerging professionals, graduate students, and graduate program directors
Pricing
- Members: $65
- Nonmembers: $85
- Student Members: $50
- Those who are under- or unemployed and nonmember students can receive 20% off with code WORKFORCE20
Schedule of Events
Day 1 -Monday, April 13
Keynote Roundtable: The State of the Public History Workforce
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
This session will provide the foundation for the summit. First, it will feature a presentation on the key takeaways from our research. Following that, it will feature a conversation about the implications of this research and how they can be used to advance the field, featuring remarks from:
- Ben Garcia, American LGBTQ+ Museum
- Alli Schell, Your Museum Career Coach
- Lynne Toye, New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund
Panelists will discuss questions like: What are your biggest takeaways from the report? What did you find most surprising—or concerning? How can this data be used in service of the field?
Panel Discussions
Following the keynote roundtable, five thematic panels will address each of the report's key takeaways. Each panel will include a data overview; an example from an institution already addressing a related issue; and a breakout conversation where attendees can discuss their reactions and ideas about possible solutions.
Panel 1: Pay Equity
1:45 – 2:45 p.m.
Kara Newport of Filoli will talk about the organization's pay equity initiative. What does this data tell us about pay for public history practitioners? How do people feel about their compensation? How does compensation differ across variables like race, gender, age, and role?
Panel 2: Burnout and Dissatisfaction
3 – 4 p.m.
Rebekah Beaulieu of the Taft Museum of Art will discuss the museum's 4-day work week initiative. How do practitioners feel about their work? What do we know about who is unhappy with their work or workplace—and why? How does workplace satisfaction vary across the field?
Tuesday, April 14
Panel 3: Supporting our LGBTQ+ Colleagues
Noon – 1 p.m.
Museum consultant and exhibit designer Margaret Middleton will offer comment. What unique challenges are LGBTQ+ practitioners facing? How do the workplace experiences of LGBTQ+ practitioners differ? How can we create more inclusive workplace environments for our LGBTQ+ colleagues?
Panel 4: Race, Ethnicity, and Inclusion
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.
Speakers TBD. What does this data reveal about racial equity in the public history field? How do history practitioners of color experience their work?
Panel 5: Gender Equity
2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Authors Anne W. Ackerson and Joan Baldwin will offer commentary and ideas. How does gender identity affect practitioners' experience with their work? How do answers to this workforce survey differ according to gender identity?
Closing Conversation
3:45–4 p.m.
More information on this conversation will be announced soon.
Updated: March 3, 2026
This event is made possible with support from the Kentucky Historical Society, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Additional support was provided by the Montana Historical Society, Rhode Island Historical Society, and Utah Historical Society.
The views expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of our sponsoring organizations.
Cancellation/Refunds for onsite workshops must be submitted in writing via email to learn@aaslh.org. Cancellations made prior to the early-bird registration deadline date will receive a full refund. Cancellations made between the early-bird deadline date and eight days prior to the workshop will be subject to a $55 processing/materials charge. No refunds will be given within seven days of the workshop date. AASLH is not responsible for cancellations that were mailed or emailed but never received.
Cancellations/Refunds for online professional development (webinars and online courses) must be submitted in writing via email to learn@aaslh.org. Cancellations made prior to the start date for the online course or the day of the webinar will be given a full refund. No refund will be given after the start date for the online course or on/after the day of the webinar. Registrants may transfer their registration to another person. Registrations cannot be transferred between courses or course sessions. AASLH is not responsible for cancellations that were mailed or emailed but never received.
If you have any questions, please contact AASLH Professional Development staff at learn@aaslh.org or 615-320-3203.
Ben Garcia
Executive Director
The American LGBTQ+ Museum
Ben Garcia (he/him) has worked for 20 years to help museums become places of welcome and belonging for all people. He started as a gallery guide and educator, moved on to exhibition development, and then served in middle- and upper-management administrative roles, before joining the American LGBTQ+ Museum as Executive Director. He has presented and published regularly on creating structural equity in museums through transparency, accountability, fair labor practices, and by adding missing voices and perspectives. Ben graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in Art and from Bank Street College of Education with an M.S. Ed. In Museum Leadership.
Alli Schell
Your Museum Career Coach
Alli Schell has been involved with museums over the past twenty years, starting as a youth volunteer, then interning, and eventually stepping into professional roles. Along the way, she’s worked with museums of all sizes, served on boards and committees, and mentored peers and emerging professionals. She serves as Director of Public Programs at the Marshall Steam Museum in northern Delaware. Alli also runs Your Museum Career Coach which offers career advice, workshops, and resources on navigating the competitive museum job market.
Lynne Toye
Executive Director
New Jersey Arts & Culture Renewal Fund
Lynne Toye is the inaugural Executive Director of the New Jersey Arts and Culture Renewal Fund. The Fund was established in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and supports organizations facing ongoing and post-pandemic challenges. It awards grants to arts and culture nonprofits and nonprofit history organizations. The Fund is a public-private collaboration supported by corporate and private foundations, individual donors, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Ms. Toye’s professional experience includes leadership roles in nonprofit administration and higher education. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia and the Wharton School of Business.
Kara Newport
President & CEO
Filoli
Kara Newport came to Filoli as the CEO in 2016 and since that time she has worked with exceptionally talented staff to ensure that Filoli is a place of beauty and refuge for the broadest community. With a shared passion for plants and history, she seeks to create resonant programming that connects people to this incredible place. Kara was first a professional fundraiser at diverse organizations including a science museum, a zoo and historic properties. She is committed to elevating the experience for all visitors through contributions from the community. She is most connected to the public gardens community as a director of a garden for over a decade and serving on the national public gardens board.
Rebekah Beaulieu
Louise Taft Semple President & CEO
Taft Museum of Art, AASLH Online Course Instructor
Email: becky@taftmuseum.org
Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D. is the Louise Taft Semple President & CEO of the Taft Museum of Art in Cincinnati, Ohio. She previously served as Director of the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut and as Associate Director at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. She serves as Treasurer of AASLH and on the faculty of AASLH’s History Leadership Institute. Becky is also an Accreditation Commissioner for the American Alliance of Museums.
Becky is the author of Financial Fundamentals for Historic House Museums (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017) and Endowment Essentials for Museums (2022). She holds an M.A in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in Arts Administration from Columbia University; she earned her Ph.D. in American and New England Studies at Boston University.
Margaret Middleton
Margaret Middleton (they/them) is an independent exhibit designer and museum consultant with a BFA in industrial design from the Rhode Island School of Design and over 15 years of museum experience. Their writing about the intersection of museum work and social justice has appeared in publications including Exhibition (NAME), Dimensions (ASTC), and Museum magazine (AAM). In 2014 Middleton developed the popular Family Inclusive Language Chart.
Brittany Bellinger
Director of Programs and Innovation
Museum Hue
Brittany Bellinger (she/they) is Director of Programs and Innovation at Museum Hue. As a native New Yorker with a deep love for arts and culture, she is passionate about leading initiatives that amplify and support Museum Hue’s mission. She brings over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, youth programming, and community development, with a focus on creating programs that foster equity and sustainability in the cultural sector. Prior to joining Museum Hue, she served as Program Director at Youth Design Center, where she oversaw strategic program planning and implementation. She has also held roles in arts education, organizational development, and communications, bringing a multidisciplinary approach to her work. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs & Urban Planning from SUNY Empire State College and a Master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from Baruch College.
Anne W. Ackerson
Independent Consultant
In a career spanning four decades, Anne W. Ackerson has served as director of several historic house museums and historical societies in central and eastern New York, the director of the Museum Association of New York, and the executive director of the national Council of State Archivists (CoSA). She continues to work for CoSA on a contract basis as coordinator of communications and development.
Anne began an independent consulting practice in 1997, focusing on organizational development issues for the smaller nonprofit cultural institution. She writes about management and leadership issues for cultural institutions in her blog, Leading by Design. She is a frequent workshop/webinar presenter on issues of museum ethics, executive leadership, financial management, and board roles and responsibilities. Anne is currently involved with Gail Anderson and Dina Bailey in The Resilience Playbook project, which coaches museums through a process of rigorous self-assessment to reframe and realign for greater mission impact.
In addition to teaching the AASLH Online Course Leadership and Administration for History Organizations, she developed curriculum materials and a webinar on strategic planning for the American Association of State and Local History’s STEPS program, a national standards program for history museums.
She is the co-author to two books: Leadership Matters: Leading Museums in an Age of Discord (second edition, 2019) and Women in the Museum: Lessons from the Workplace (2017). She is a co-founder of the Gender Equity in Museums Movement(GEMM).
Joan Baldwin
Joan Baldwin is co-founder of the Gender Equity in Museums Movement and a former museum director. She is the co-author of Leadership Matters and Women in the Museum: Lessons from the Workplace.
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