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JIMI2027 Information


JIMI2027 Instructors


JIMI2027 Location


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Dear SEMC,


We are excited to introduce the instructor cohort for the 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI)!



SEMC received an extraordinary response to our call for instructors for the 2027 program. The depth of experience, ideas, and enthusiasm represented in the applicant pool was truly impressive and made for some very difficult decisions. The instructors selected for JIMI2027 bring a wonderful range of perspectives, career experiences, museum disciplines, and institutional backgrounds to the Institute.


Together, they will help our next cohort explore the many functions of a museum and how they connect, building a broader understanding of the people, departments, and decisions that keep an organization moving forward.


Our 2027 theme, The Power of Story, will run throughout the JIMI experience. As a group, cohort and instructors will consider how the stories we tell, and the stories we listen to, shape organizational culture, inform decision-making, strengthen collaboration, and connect museums more meaningfully with their communities.


Applications for JIMI2027 are being accepted through September 18th! If you are ready to broaden your understanding of museum operations, learn alongside colleagues from across the Southeast, and spend an immersive week thinking about your work in new ways, I hope you will consider joining us on Jekyll Island in January.


Take a look at this year’s instructors below, consider what JIMI might offer you at this point in your career, and please reach out if you have questions. I am always happy to talk about the JIMI experience!


Respectfully,


Zinnia Willits

SEMC Executive Director

 

SEMC Jekyll Island Management Institute

January 19-26, 2027

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Program Overview 

SEMC is excited to offer the 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), an immersive, in-person professional development experience designed to build a broad understanding of museum operations and how the many functions of a museum connect. JIMI 2027 will be held January 19–26 on Jekyll Island, Georgia.


JIMI is designed for museum professionals seeking to broaden their understanding of museum operations and strengthen the knowledge, skills, and perspectives needed to advance in the field. Through interactive sessions led by experienced museum professionals and applied group exercises, participants explore a range of museum functions while considering how those areas connect and how decisions made in one part of an organization can impact the whole. The Institute encourages participants to think beyond their individual roles, collaborate with peers, and consider approaches adaptable to museums of different sizes, resources, and missions.


The JIMI2027 theme, The Power of Story, will provide a thread throughout the week, exploring how storytelling shapes organizational culture, decision-making, collaboration, and the ways museums connect with their communities.


Just as important as the curriculum is the community JIMI creates. Participants learn alongside a cohort of museum professionals from across the Southeast, sharing experiences, working through challenges together, and developing a professional network that extends well beyond their time on Jekyll Island.



Who should apply?

The Jekyll Island Management Institute is designed for emerging and mid-career museum professionals who want to broaden their understanding of museum operations and strengthen their ability to see how the different areas of museum work connect. JIMI is particularly valuable for professionals looking to expand beyond the knowledge and responsibilities of their current role, fill gaps in their understanding of museum management, and gain a more holistic view of how museums operate. Participants should come ready to learn from instructors and one another, share their own experiences, and apply new perspectives to real-world museum challenges.


Applicants should have at least two years of full-time museum or related professional experience.



Cost

Tuition for the 8-day program is $1,000 for SEMC members or members of another museum professional organization and includes instruction, Institute resources, daily lunch, and several dinners. Tuition scholarship opportunities are available.



Application deadline

Applications for the 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute will be accepted through September 18, 2026.



Questions?

Please reach out to Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director at zwillits@semcdirect.net

Jekyll Island Management Institute Class of 2025

JIMI 2027 Instructors

 

Ivy Albright

Director of Cultural and Heritage Tourism, Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau




JIMI 2027 Subject: 

Digital Marketing/Social Media

 

Adam Alfrey

Assistant Director for Historical Services

East Tennessee History Center






JIMI 2027 Subject: 

Facilities/Disaster Preparedness


 

Kris Allen

Senior Manager of Educational Programs

Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Education/Public Programming


 

Amy Bartow-Melia, Executive Director

South Carolina State Museum


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Strategic Planning



 

Marcy Breffle

Senior Consultant

Purpose Possible



JIMI 2027 Subject: 

Grants

Rebecca Bush

Curator of History & Exhibitions Manager

The Columbus Museum


JIMI 2027 Subjects: 

Curation  

Exhibition Development

 

 

Priscilla Hancock Cooper

Founding Director Emeritus, Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium


JIMI 2027 Subject: Community Engagement


Dr. Nancy Strickland Chavis

Director and Curator

Museum of the Southeast American Indian



JIMI 2027 Subject: 

Working With Indigenous Communities 



 

Anna Fariello

 Curator, Curatorial InSight


 



JIMI 2027 Subject:

Technology/Digitization

 

 

 

Stefanie Green

Retired Director of Operations, Museums, Archives, Rare Books and University Libraries at Kennesaw State University

 

JIMI2027 Subject:

Human Resources

Shawn Halifax

Executive Director, Ivy Creek Foundation





JIMI 2027 Subject:

The Changing Museum Field

 

Colleen Higginbotham

Deputy Director for Visitor Experience, Chrysler Museum of Art



 

JIMI 2027 Subject:

Visitor Services

 

 

Dr. Ellen Lofaro

Director of Repatriation and Curator of Archaeology

University of Tennessee, Knoxville


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Working With Indigenous Communities


 

Katy Menne

Founder, Consultant, Learner Centered Strategies



JIMI 2027 Subject:  

Accessibility

 

Sheila McDaniel

Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Administration, International African American Museum


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Budgeting


Photo credit: Rhonisha Franklin

 

 

Dr. Marion McGee

Organizational Strategist, Program Manager, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture - Office of Strategic Partnerships


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Organizational Culture

 

David Paule

Principal & Managing Partner

Our Fundraising Search






JIMI 2027 Subject: 

Fundraising

 

 

Sierra Polisar

Head of Collections Newcomb Art Museum of Tulane University


 





JIMI 2027 Subject:

Collections Management

 

 

Ahmad Ward

Executive Director

Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park






JIMI 2027 Subjects:

Board Management

Executive Leadership



Stacey A. Watson

Program Specialist, Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture - Office of Strategic Partnerships


JIMI 2027 Subject:

Interpretation




 

Zinnia Willits

Executive Director 

Southeastern Museums Conference


JIMI 2027 Facilitator

JIMI 2027

Co-Administrator

 

Heather Nowak

Program Administrator

Southeastern Museums Conference



JIMI2027

Co-Administrator



JIMI2027 Location 

Jekyll Island is a barrier island on Georgia's coast – midway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. With 10 miles of sandy beaches, four golf courses, a 250-acre Historic Landmark District and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, it has been a favorite state park destination for 75 years. 


The State of Georgia owns the isle and development is limited to just 1,675 of its more than 5,000 acres, meaning the natural beauty of verdant trees, tall sand dunes, and visitor memories will be preserved for generations to come. Explore the history of the barrier island's ecosystem at Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum.

JIMI2027 Lodging

Lodging at the oceanfront host hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites, Jekyll Island, is available at the SEMC group rate of $155 + tax per night and will be the responsibility of each JIMI attendee. Daily full breakfast buffet (6:00AM-10:00AM) is included. A shuttle will be available to transport JIMI attendees between the Hampton Inn (south side of the Island) and Villa Ospo (session location in the Historic District - a five-minute drive).

JIMI2027 Session Location

All sessions will be held at Villa Ospo in the Jekyll Island Historic District.

JIMI2027 Island Experiences

JIMI 2027 attendees will have opportunities to experience and learn from the rich historic resources, sites and tours on Jekyll Island.

Historic Preservation at Hollybourne Cottage

Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum

The Wanderer Memory Trail

 

SEMC is grateful for the support of the

2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute Sponsor

 
 

Is your company interested in supporting the 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute through sponsorship? Contact Zinnia Willits to learn more about sponsor opportunities, levels, and benefits at zwillits@semcdirect.net or 843-224-0876

 
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR NEW AND RENEWING MEMBERS!

THANK YOU!!

We want you to know that we greatly appreciate your support through membership and will continue to work hard to provide training, virtual connection and resources to our southeastern museums community. 

 

New to SEMC?

Connect with other SEMC Emerging Museum Professionals and Mid-Career Museum Professionals on the following pages:


SEMC EMP Facebook Page

SEMC MID-CAREER Facebook Page

SOUTHEASTERN MUSEUMS CONFERENCE
404.814.2047 | semcdirect.net
P.O. Box 550746 | Atlanta, GA 30355

 
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