The Museum Association of New York (MANY) is proud to announce that 22 museum professionals from across New York State will attend the 2024 annual conference “Giving Voice to Value” in Albany, NY, April 6-9 with full scholarship support. Scholarships include conference registration, travel, hotel accommodation, workshop or special event registration, and complimentary individual MANY memberships for one year. 

Scholarship recipients were selected through a competitive application process. Applications were reviewed by a panel that included MANY’s board members, staff, and local conference committee members. “We look forward to welcoming these exceptional professionals to Albany and express our sincere gratitude to our donors for helping MANY to expand our service to the field,” said MANY Executive Director Erika Sanger.

2024 Scholarship Awards

BIPOC Museum Professional in Museum Administration

Awarded to a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color working in museum administration who has played a leadership role in advancing the capacity and sustainability of their museum.

Mari Irizarry, Director, Three Village Historical Society

Cassetti Scholarship

Awarded to a museum professional who has demonstrated creative leadership and has affected significant, positive change in the ways in which their museum engages with audiences.

Lauren Nechamkin, Director of Education, Museum of Chinese in America

William G. Pomeroy Foundation Scholarship

Sponsored by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation for museum professionals working in a history-related NYS museum with an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less and who have not attended a MANY annual conference in the past.

Michael S. Bennett, Lincoln Depot Museum

Terry Britton, Woodstock Museum

Rebekah L. Clark, National Memorial Day Museum

Susan Colson, Percy Grainger Society

Scott R. Ferrara, Three Village Historical Society

Elliott Gnirrep, Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center

Susan M. Ouellette, Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway/Burden Ironworks Museum

Jamie Robinson, Museum Village of Old Smith’s Clove

Kristin D. White, Dunkirk Historical Society

Kayla Whitehouse, National Bottle Museum

Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation Scholarship

Sponsored by the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation for museum professionals employed by museums and historical societies on Long Island with an annual operating budget of $250,000 or less and who have not attended a MANY annual conference in the past.

Courtney Chambers, Sea Cliff Village Museum

Phyllis Chan Carr, Sagtikos Manor Historical Society

Jeremy Dennis, Ma’s House & BIPOC Art Studio, Inc.

Stefan Dreisbach-Williams, Waterfront Museum

George Fleckenstein, Pan Am Museum Foundation

Ariana Garcia-Cassani, Montauk Historical Society

Claire Hunter, Montauk Historical Society

Denice Sheppard, Oyster Bay Historical Society

Amy Vacchio, Rock Hall Museum

Museum Professional in a Facilities Position Scholarship

Sponsored by Fireline Corporation, this scholarship is awarded to a museum professional working in a facilities position at a NYS museum. 

Josh Engel, Associate Director of Support Services, Long Island Children’s Museum

Annual Conference

The 2024 Annual Conference “Giving Voice to Value” will be held in Albany from April 6 to 9 and features over 100 presenters in 25 concurrent sessions, pre-conference workshops, and capstone experiences discussing and sharing new ways to communicate the value of museums to stakeholders, funders, legislators, visitors, and communities. Online registration ends March 31. To learn more, visit: https://nysmuseums.org/annualconference