Summer is often seen as a slower season in the academic world, a time to regroup and plan ahead. However, at the Michigan State University Museum, this summer has been full of activity and momentum. Our team has been deeply immersed in a $28 million renovation project, working through key decisions about infrastructure, finishes, furnishings, and gallery designs. Alongside the planned work, we also faced unexpected challenges, including the urgent relocation of collections from one of our storage facilities due to campus construction. At the same time, we have continued to welcome the public through our off-site exhibition space in downtown East Lansing, offering immersive installations and a full calendar of public programs. This summer has required us to stretch in many directions, balancing operational demands with future-oriented thinking. It has been a season shaped by collaboration, adaptability, and a clear sense of purpose.

The renovation of the museum remains on schedule, and we anticipate beginning the move back into the building in early fall. While that transition is in sight, the work has not slowed. We continue to make detailed decisions about the layout and use of our new and upgraded spaces. Meanwhile, the temporary relocation of collections has required close coordination and thoughtful care. The affected facility was one of three storage sites, and its demolition, part of the university’s football stadium expansion, prompted us to shift thousands of objects to a new temporary home. We are now in the process of rehousing and organizing these collections to ensure they will be accessible to researchers again later this fall. Simultaneously, we have started the early planning phase for a long-term collections facility, which we hope to bring online in approximately four years.

Our temporary location downtown has proven to be an essential part of our strategy during this transitional period. It has allowed us to continue serving our community through exhibitions, artist installations, and public programs. The response from our audiences has been strong, and the space has become a testing ground for new approaches to interpretation and engagement that we plan to carry into our renovated facility.

In addition to our internal work at the MSU Museum, I have remained actively engaged with the broader museum field throughout the summer. This has included leadership roles, public speaking, and collaborative projects that support national conversations around the future of museums. These opportunities have allowed me to share our work, learn from colleagues across the country, and help shape dialogue at the intersection of museums, higher education, and public engagement.

Following the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) annual conference in Los Angeles this past May, I began my two-year term as chair of the AAM Board of Directors. This new role comes at a pivotal moment for the organization and for the field more broadly. We have already launched the early stages of a new strategic planning process and recently convened a board retreat in Philadelphia to discuss the challenges facing museums and the role AAM can play in supporting innovation, advocacy, and sustainability across the sector.

In mid-June, I had the privilege of delivering a one-hour keynote address, Museums of Tomorrow: Innovation, Impact, and Investment, to the Board of Directors at the Springfield Museums in Springfield, Massachusetts. My talk focused on emerging trends in the museum field and the future of museum work, with the goal of helping the board think expansively about what lies ahead for their constellation of museums.

Later in June, I represented the MSU Museum at the annual conference of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I had the opportunity to present on two panels that explored current issues in academic museums:

• You Have the Floor: Creating Spaces for Communities to Gather Inside the Museum. This session brought together three different institutions to examine how museums are creating intentional, community-centered spaces. Alongside colleagues from the Ackland Art Museum and the Block Museum of Art, we discussed how to identify key stakeholders, tailor space to unique community needs, and balance relationships among the museum, university, and surrounding community. We also considered how both temporary and permanent spaces can evolve over time to better serve the public.
• Connecting Artists with Campus Communities: Artist Fellowships and Belonging in Academic Museums. This panel explored the potential of artist residencies and fellowship programs to build meaningful relationships across disciplines and with diverse audiences. I joined colleagues from The Gund at Kenyon College and Bryn Mawr College to share examples of how such programs can foster collaboration, invite new voices into the museum, and support a sense of belonging for artists, students, and the broader campus.

Back on campus throughout July, I chaired the search committee for the next director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at MSU. That search is now nearing completion, and we expect to welcome a dynamic new director later this fall. In parallel with that effort, I have been supporting the MSU Broad Art Museum’s leadership team during this period of transition, assisting with strategic planning efforts and reviewing internal operations to identify areas for improved efficiency and alignment.

Finally, I continued my work with the Global Trends Committee for the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC). This summer, the committee has been finalizing a field-wide briefing titled Increasing Social Divisions, which will be released at the upcoming ASTC Conference in San Francisco this September. I will join the committee’s co-chairs and staff liaisons on a panel at the conference to share key findings from the report and discuss how museums can respond to these rising challenges. The panel will also include case studies from institutions, including the MSU Museum, that are actively working to engage with these societal shifts.

As summer gives way to a new academic year, I find myself reflecting not only on the progress of the MSU Museum, but also on the scope of my own work across the field. This season has allowed me to help guide a major institutional renovation, lead a national board during a critical period of planning, support the growth of a partner museum on campus, and contribute to important conversations shaping the future of museums. Each of these efforts has deepened my understanding of what leadership requires in times of change: adaptability, collaboration, and a clear vision for what comes next. I am proud of the work we have accomplished this summer, and I am energized by what lies ahead. It is a privilege to serve both my campus and the broader museum community during such a transformative time.