Online Course: Succession Planning for Cultural Institutions
Cultural sector professionals are known for wearing the proverbial many hats and making extraordinary use of scarce resources. Staff transitions, whether unexpected or planned, can be disruptive and stressful in these environments. With shifts in the workforce and volunteer pipelines, succession planning and knowledge transfer are becoming more important to address.
This course builds on the work that CCAHA has been doing as part of the Collections Stewardship Succession Planning Initiative, a joint effort by the Conservation Center and Lyrasis, funded by a Museum Leadership Grant from the Institute for Museum & Library Services. With the understanding that it can be hard to even know where to start with succession planning, we’ve developed this course to walk you through the steps together, developing your own succession plan for your position. By the end, you will be able to identify collections-related succession planning needs at your organization, work through resources, think through your own potential departure and the departures of others at your institution, and gain tools for advocacy in succession planning.
This course addresses Goal #3: Collections Sustainability of the Foundation for the Advancement in Conservation’s (FAIC) Held in Trust Report on Field Sustainability, Infrastructure, and Sector Health.
Course Objectives:
Through this course, you will:
- Simulate the succession planning process
- Make connections from positive case studies to see how each organization is different in this process.
- Advocate for how to bring this process to your organization
- Develop a clear timeline and structure for succession planning for your own institution
- Create a tangible folder of succession planning documents based on the resources we’ve created
We are offering tiered pricing based on group, student, and member status. Groups of three or more people from an institution (staff and/or Board members) are encouraged to join and will receive the member rate. While most course content can be completed at any time, an introductory session on Monday, October 28, as well as open Q and A sessions at the end of each week (November 1, 8, and 15) will take place via Zoom meeting. All times for these sessions will be from 2:00-3:00pm ET, and they will be recorded. Online course content will be available beginning on Monday, October 28 at 9:30am ET and will be available for six weeks following the conclusion of the course.
About our instructors:
Tom Clareson (he/him) is Project Director of the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help performing arts organizations nationwide learn how to protect their assets, sustain operations, and be prepared for emergencies. He serves as Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services at Lyrasis, consulting and teaching nationally and internationally on preservation, disaster preparedness, digitization, digital preservation, special collections/archives, remote storage, funding, strategic planning, and advocacy for libraries, archives, and museums. Clareson serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.
Camilla Dawson (she/her): As Preservation Services Administrator, Camilla is responsible for providing administrative support and project management for the Preservation Services Department. She handles the registration, promotion, and materials for CCAHA’s workshops and education programs and assists in the expanse of capacity for preservation assessment work.
In her previous role at the Barnes Foundation, Camilla presented talks to visitors about the Barnes’ history and collection. She has additionally held front-facing roles at cultural institutions such as Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Camilla holds an MA in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and earned a BA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University.
Michelle Eisenberg (she/her) is Executive Director of CCAHA. She is responsible for executing CCAHA’s strategic goals and business planning initiatives. She manages large scale conservation and preservation projects with partner organizations, leading internal and external teams. She oversees CCAHA’s budget and works with the Board of Directors on business development.
Prior to joining CCAHA, Michelle worked at Schultz & Williams, a consulting firm serving the nonprofit sector. Michelle was formerly Associate Director of Temple University’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and held several development roles at the National Constitution Center. She has a MBA from Temple University and a BA in History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Dyani Feige (she/her): Director of Preservation Services. Dyani works with libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural organizations to conduct needs and risk assessments, assist in disaster planning, and help develop policy and planning documents for collections. She also develops and presents education programs on preservation and conservation concerns.
Before joining the staff of CCAHA in 2010 as Preservation Specialist, Dyani worked in the Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives. She has also worked in the New York Public Library’s Preservation Division; for the Conference Board; and in the Special Collections & Archives at Kent State University. Dyani received her MS in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Archives at Pratt Institute and her BM in Music Business from New York University.
Alanna Shaffer (she/they): As Preservation Services Operations Manager, is responsible for managing Preservation Services projects and streamlining departmental operations. Before joining the CCAHA team, Alanna worked as an Educator at the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, where she assisted in the development of “Prisons Today”, the nation’s first exhibit devoted exclusively to the history and continued impact of mass incarceration. She has also served as the Historic Programs & Collections Assistant at Shane Confectionery and as the Philadelphia Tour Manager for Underground Donut Tours. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and recently earned her M.A. in Public History from Temple University, where her research was focused on the intersections of cultural labor and heritage display.
Greg Stuart (he/they): As CCAHA's Education Program Manager, Greg is responsible for connecting CCAHA's virtual and in-person audiences to engaging educational programs, tours, and written resources, bringing preservation awareness to cultural heritage professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region, nationwide, and internationally. Greg develops and plans preventive conservation training and teaches workshops on the care and handling of paper artifacts.
Prior to working at the CCAHA, Greg was the Coordinator of Adult Public Programs and Museum Educator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have also worked in education and public programs roles at the Samek Art Museum, a program of Bucknell University, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Portland Art Museum. Greg has taught art history and museum studies courses at Portland State University, Concordia University, Portland, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He holds an MA in Modern and Contemporary Art History, Theory, and Criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and a BA in Art History and English from Loyola University, Chicago.