The NYCMER Board is pleased to announce the candidates for the 2026 member-elected Board positions! Thank you to all those who spread the word, encouraged colleagues to run, and stepped up!

 

Nominations for July 2026-June 2028:

Member-Elected Positions for July 2026-June 2028:

President - The President is responsible for the overall administration of NYCMER and presides over meetings of the Board and events organized for the membership. The President provides leadership in the formulation and implementation of strategic planning and policies. This position is elected by NYCMER members. 

Sonya Ochshorn

NYC History Day Coordinator - Center for Brooklyn History | Brooklyn Public Library

Treasurer - The Treasurer serves as an officer on the NYCMER Board and is responsible for supervision of NYCMER's financial records, chairing the Finance Committee, filing of the organization's taxes annually, and close coordination with other Board Officers and Trustees. The Treasurer works with board members to pursue additional funding opportunities and ensure financial stability. This position is elected by NYCMER members.

Jesse Brown

Learning Specialist - The Museum of Modern Art

Trustee-at-Large - Plans programs, advocates for members, and guides NYCMER’s priorities. Trustees-at-Large develop, facilitate, and lead monthly professional development programs and serve on committees to ensure that events and activities are carried out in accordance with the goals and objectives of NYCMER’s mission. This position is elected by NYCMER members.

Note: There are 3 Trustee-at-Large positions open.

Veronica Miller

Manager of Education Programs - Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx Zoo

Margaret Hoffman

Manager of School Groups, Residencies, and Teacher Learning - American Museum of Natural History

Deja Santiago

Director of Education - Children's Arts & Science Workshops, Inc

How do I vote?

• NYCMER members will be voting via Election Runner. Voters will be able to see each candidate's statement of interest, professional experience and goals they have for NYCMER. 
• All active NYCMER members will be sent an email on April 20th, 2026 when the election opens. The email will contain a unique link and log-in information for Election Runner, there will be more information on this process soon. 

What about the other positions?

• All NYCMER Board roles are two-year terms, so half of the positions are open for nominations each year.
• Some positions are elected by the NYCMER membership and some are appointed by the NYCMER Board. At the April 14th Board meeting, the Board appointed:
  • Membership Coordinator - Cait Clemmer
  • Resources and Social Media Coordinator - Kate Schmidt
  • Events Coordinator - Alexia Wang
• The full new Board will be announced ahead of the NYCMER Annual Conference, which will be held on Monday, May 18, 2026.

 

Questions about the election process? Email nominations@nycmer.org.

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Additional Board Commitments

All NYCMER Board Members are expected to make the following commitments:

• Monthly Meetings: held once a month (September-May) from 6pm-8pm on a weekday and location determined by consensus at the beginning of the term. Board Members must attend at least 6 of the 9 meetings annually.
• Full-Day Retreat: a one-day retreat scheduled in summer 2026 at a location to be determined. Titled trustees also attend a half-day pre-retreat earlier in the summer.
• Monthly Programs: Board Members plan monthly (September-April) professional development and networking programs. They serve, as a minimum, on either two monthly program teams or on one program team and one committee over the course of the year. In addition, Board Members must attend at least three monthly programs.
• Board Committees: Board Members may also serve on committees that support the management and long term growth of the organization.
• Annual Conference: All NYCMER Board Members assist the Conference Committee in executing the NYCMER Annual Conference in May. Board attendance at the NYCMER Conference is mandatory. 

 

About NYCMER

NYCMER was founded in 1979 and continues to grow with membership from across the tri-state area, representing a variety of disciplines, work settings, roles and career stages. NYCMER provides a forum for museum education professionals to address meaningful issues relevant to our work and to exchange and disseminate current information. We collaboratively produce professional development opportunities for our members and guests such as workshops, roundtable discussions, seminars, symposia, peer groups, and conferences.

 

About the NYCMER Board

NYCMER’s governing body is the Board of Trustees, consisting of current NYCMER Members all serving in non-salaried positions. The Board consists of four Officers (President, Vice President, Secretary & Peer Groups Liaison, Treasurer); five Appointed Trustees (Archivist, Resources & Social Media Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Event and Job Listings Coordinator and Website Coordinator); and no fewer than eight Trustees-at-Large elected from among the Members. No more than three Trustees may have the same full-time institutional affiliation.

The Board's obligation to its members is to govern in a style that embraces and supports diversity on many levels, including but not limited to race, ability, and identity, incorporates a spectrum of perspectives, and emphasizes the importance of equity.

The purposes of the Board as set forth in its 501(c)(3) Certificate of Incorporation are:

• to address issues of museum and educational interest;
• to explore and implement cooperative programming opportunities through roundtable discussions, workshops, seminars, symposia, professional development series, and conferences; and
• to pursue related charitable, cultural and educational purposes as permitted under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

The purposes of the Board as set forth in its 501(c)(3) Certificate of Incorporation are:

• to address issues of museum and educational interest;
• to explore and implement cooperative programming opportunities through roundtable discussions, workshops, seminars, symposia, professional development series, and conferences; and
• to pursue related charitable, cultural and educational purposes as permitted under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.