1.
WE ARE THE CHANGE:
MENTORS AND PEERS
WMA 2016

2.
Jeffory Morris’ Work History:
• 10 years - Museum Curator, i.d.e.a. Museum
(Formerly, Arizona Museum for Youth), Mesa,
Arizona, 2006 - Present
• 11 Years - Curator of Collections, Pilgrim
Monument & Provincetown Museum,
Provincetown, MA, 1995-2006
• 5 years - Gallery Curator, Mesa Arts Center,
Mesa, Arizona, 1988-1993
i.d.e.a. Museum is a public-private partnership between the i.d.e.a. Museum Board of
Directors, Inc., a 501 (c)3, and the City of Mesa. The i.d.e.a. Museum is part of the City’s Arts
and Culture Division, which includes the Mesa Arts Center and the Arizona Museum of
Natural History. Our mission is to inspire children of all ages to experience their world
differently through art, creativity and imagination.

3.
At the age of 49, received a Master of Business
Administration from the Eller College of
Management at The University of Arizona, in
2012.
Which assisted in the successful rebranding of
the Arizona Museum for Youth to i.d.e.a.
Museum in February 2014. In the first year,
increased attendance from 65,000 to 105,000
and increased revenues 70%.
Lead for Good's Leadership Success Institute -
Graduate May 2015.
LSI strengthened confidence to lead an organization:
• A network of trusted advisors who understand
the unique issues associated with the nonprofit
sector and are able to provide support now and
into the future
• Reduced stress and enhanced work-life balance
• Effective new leadership tools and approaches to
use and share with your organization
• Enhanced relationships with stakeholders
including staff, donors, and the community
• A strategic, internalized leadership vision and the
skills to execute it
• Increased chance of success in your next role as a
senior executive

4.
One of my goals as part of my receiving mentoring from
Laura Atwood, was to apply for the Piper Fellowship for
2015.
Applied in Sep 2015 and was selected Nov 2015.
In 2016, I have been studying nonprofit fundraising:
• Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana
University, Certificate in Fundraising Management
• Association of Professional Fundraising Conference
• American Alliance of Museum Meeting &
MuseumEXPO
• Three-day intensive class in Comedy Improvisation at
the Second City, Chicago.
Mentoring Resources:
Lead for Good - Leadership Success Institute:
http://leadforgood.org/Lsi/
Seminar for Historical Administration (SHA):
https://historyleadership.org/
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust: http://pipertrust.org/
“Our community values the arts and
how it transforms our children’s
imaginative ideas into a lifetime of
learning and discovery. This
prestigious opportunity will allow me
to enhance my professional calling
towards that of an effective
fundraiser, to better serve the
museum and the stakeholders that
value its exhibitions and programs.”
- Jeffory Morris, i.d.e.a. Museum

5.
Jeffory Morris
Museum Curator
480.644.5769: Direct Line
Jeffory.Morris@MesaAZ.gov
http://ideamuseum.org
i.d.e.a. Museum
150 W. Pepper Place
Mesa, AZ 85201

6.
MENTORING IN THE
DIGITAL WORLD
Annie Larkin
Associate Curator of Public Programs
Amerind Museum

7.
Mentoring in the Digital World
■ Technology has transformed how we learn and communicate
■ This includes opportunities to be a mentor and mentee
■ Distance is not an obstacle
■ Instant communication

8.
■ Utilizing social media
■ Facebook
■ Groups
o General to the profession
o Specialized
 Exhibits
 Social Media Managers
■ Alumni
Mentoring in the Digital World

9.
■ Anonymity, no prior bias
■ Community mentoring
■ Access to communicate with people across the
globe
■ Varied professional experiences
Mentoring in the Digital World

10.
■ Reach out to group community members
■ Remember to be aware of the environment
o Closed group vs. open group
■ Advantages of closed groups
■ Honest answers to tough questions
Mentoring in the Digital World

11.
WE ARE THE CHANGE:
MENTORS AND PEERS
Erika Katayama
Director of Exhibits, San Diego Museum of Man

12.
Mentor- ways to offer your expertise
Mentee- how to find help
■ Formalized program
– RC-AAM, registration and collections mgmt. arm of
American Alliance of Museums
■ Application process for both mentors and mentees, matched
by region if possible then by museum type
■ With a formal program, either participant can go to the
organizer for help, guidance, or re-matching if need be
■ Ideal for specific job skill sets and to network within one’s area
of specialty

13.
Mentor- ways to offer your expertise
Mentee- how to find help
■ Informal- how to reach out or seek out
– Introduce yourself to new hires at your site and nearby
institutions, meet for coffee or lunch/ schedule meetings with
colleagues if you are new to the job
■ Shared contacts or resources will be helpful for a new person, like a
trusted framer or supply company
■ Learning about new colleagues gives valuable information beyond one’s
title
– Seek out local chapters of EMP (Emerging Museum
Professionals) or another group that pertains to your industry or
skill set

14.
WHAT IF THERE ISN’T ANOTHER –
[INSERT JOB TITLE HERE]- THAT I
CAN REACH OUT TO?
• No other registrars/curators/membership managers around?
• Look for someone who has a skill you admire and would like to hone- like
ease in public speaking, social media savviness, great rapport with the
board and build a relationship with that person
• Mentoring can happen even from a distance, use LinkedIn to connect or
listservs for your particular field

15.
Thank you!
Erika Katayama ekatayama@museumofman.org

16.
VOLUNTEER MUSEUM GUIDE
MENTOR PROGRAM
SUMMARY, GOALS, OUTCOMES
Niki Cuccinotto
Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix

17.
SUMMARY
Tours at MIM
 “A World of Musical Journeys” School / Youth Tours
 prekindergarten-12th grade
 10 field trip options | guided and self-guided options
 2-hour experience
 All field trips include Orientation Video, Experience Gallery
(hands-on), self-guided time with guidePORTs
 Many field trips include active music-making
 Adult Tour
 Adult Tour: 1-hour overview tour
 VIP Tour: 1-hour “behind-the-scenes” tour
 Orientation Tour
 Drop-in tours available on weekends and select weekdays
throughout the year
 30-45 minute “highlights” tour

18.
SUMMARY
Museum Guides at MIM
 Recruitment
 New Volunteer Team Member (VTM) Application
 New VTM Orientation (3 hours)
 10-week Museum Guide Training (40-50 hours)
 Museum Education & Ethnomusicology: tours overview,
gallery content overview
 Music Education: leading a Drum Circle
 Educating Diverse Audiences: prekindergarten–adults
 In-gallery practice: 8x small-group presentations, 3x
tour shadow, co-teach (optional), 1 x Qualifying Tour
 Active Museum Guides (12-15 hours per month)
 3x tours per month (2/3 must be school-based)
 Continuing Education (5-6 sessions per year)

19.
SUMMARY
Museum Guide Mentors at MIM
 In Spring 2012, began with 5-6 mentors
 Annual school/youth/adult tour attendance was
~13,000
 2016-2017 school year has 23 mentors
 Annual school/youth/adult tour attendance is
56,000
 Tasks for mentors include
 Be available for tour shadowing, co-teaching
 Evaluate and facilitate small-group practice
during initial ten-week MG training
 Consult on tour updates, new tour plans

20.
4 KEY CHARACTERISTICS:
SUPPORTIVE | FLEXIBLE | KNOWLEDGEABLE | PERSONABLE

21.
GOALS
Practical Functions of Mentors
 On-board new guides
 Core function of mentors, so far
 Support museum guide continuing
education
 Demonstrate, reinforce, model best tour
practices
 Additional arm of Education
Department
 These mission-based volunteers define culture
of museum for all volunteers | “silent
recognition”

22.
OUTCOMES
Tangibles
 Turn guides-in-training over sooner (evaluate Qualifying
Tours)
 Shadow opportunities are more plentiful (3x required
for 25+ guides-in-training)
Intangibles
 “It has been great fun watching [new guides] grow and
observing the effect of positive reinforcement on
them. It seems that each week I get to work with some
of these extraordinary folks and grow with them.
Thank you for the opportunity.” –Active Museum Guide
 “[Mentor models] gave us the ‘A-to-Z’ personalized
concepts of how information can be delivered in a
variety of ways.” –New Museum Guide
 “Classroom hours provide knowledge overview while
mentors showed how to use that knowledge to adapt
each tour once the students come through the door.”
–New Museum Guide

23.
OUTCOMES
Opportunities for growth
 What other tangible outcomes can be
linked to this mentor program?
 How is retention related to working with
mentors? i.e. “if a guide works with a
mentor, how much longer, on average, do
they volunteer as a museum guide?”
 Training: Mentor program runs training and
continuing education with support of staff?
 Fundraising: Mentor program fundraises
for Education initiatives related to tours
and museum guides?