Joining the Board of the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network

I’m honored and thrilled to be joining the National Merging Museum Professionals Network (NEMPN) this year as their new Director of Communications.

You can read the national press release here.

Philadelphia, PA (Oct 13, 2020)—Emily Esten, Digital Project Coordinator for the University of Pennsylvania Libraries, has been selected to the Board of the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network (NEMPN), an internationally recognized support network for museums, cultural organizations and informal learning institutions.

New to NEPMN, Esten’s recent selection as the organization’s Director of Communications is also her first major step towards active EMP membership. “Serving on the NEMPN board is an opportunity for me to become more invested in the community that has fostered my personal and professional growth,” said Esten. “Especially in this moment where museum professionals are reevaluating their roles in the field, I want to use this opportunity to support other museum professionals as valuable sources of knowledge, creative, and time, and to help us all care for each other so that we can make big decisions as a community, rather than as islands.”

As an organization, NEMPN is experiencing significant change and growth, with the selection of new co-Presidents, Sierra Van Ryck deGroot and Sierra Polisar, who have developed a vision for NEMPN that the pair say required a strong team with the drive and determination to get the job done.

“NEMPN is poised to do some really big things this year and in the near future. We wanted to create a Board that is not only representative of the communities we serve, but also willing to get right to work with some of our big picture dreams for the upcoming year,” said Van Ryck deGroot, who also serves as the Education Programs Manager at the Poster House in New York City. “We have quite a few goals and we needed the support of individuals who were ready and willing to get the organization where it needs to be.”

NEMPN announced the selection of six new board members, along with a renewed and global vision for the organization and its role in providing guidance and support to new and growth track professionals.

• Director of Communications, Emily Esten (Digital Humanities Coordinator, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania)
• Regional Director-Northeast, Kelsey Brow (Executive Director, King Manor Museum, New York)
• Regional Director-Southeast, Cassandra Cavness (Development Assistant, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama)
• Regional Director-Midwest, Dianne Choie (Youth and Family Programs Coordinator, Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin)
• Regional Director-Southwest, Amy C. Oliver (Visitor & Science Center Manager, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Arizona)
• Regional Director-West, Jesse Dutton-Kenny (Museum Preparator, SFO Museum, California)
• Regional Director-International/Multi-Location, Madeline Smolarz (Museum Assistant, City of Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In addition to new board members, NEMPN welcomes back Secretary Laura Santoyo of Aurora, Illinois, Treasurer Chloe Doucette of Idaho Falls, and Director of Resources, Michelle Reynolds of Tacoma.

About NEMPN

The National Emerging Museum Professionals Network envisions communities in which museum professionals make meaningful connections within and across backgrounds, disciplines, and institutions by providing leadership, responding to changing needs, enriching experiences, growing capabilities, and sharing resources. NEMPN is a registered 501(c)3. For more information: nationalempnetwork.org