2022 Leadership Award Recipient Dr. John H. Falk (center)

The WMA Leadership Award recognizes and acknowledges outstanding lifetime achievement in museums and/or a museum-related field. The Award is presented at the WMA Annual Meeting to a museum professional with more than 20 years in the field whose career has had a sustained, considerable, and lasting impact on museum practices and/or the museum profession in the Western Region. The awardee will address the attendees during a General Session and will be featured in the Annual Meeting program and on the WMA website. (Prior to 2018, this award was known as the Director’s Chair Award.)

Eligibility Requirements

Any museum professional affiliated with a museum, library, historical society, or other cultural organization is eligible to apply. Applicants do not need to be a current WMA member. Additionally, past Leadership Award applicants are welcome to apply, but previous awardees are not eligible. Applicants must meet the following criteria.

1. Nominee should have more than 20 years of experience in the museum field
2. Nominee should be a currently active museum or museum-related professional
3. Nominee is available to attend the Annual Meeting to receive the award

How to Apply

1. Review the eligibility requirements
2. Download and fill out the Application Form (link coming soon)
3. Submit the appliaction to proposals@westmuse.org

Applicants will receive a confirmation upon receipt of the application, and will be notified of the final award results.

Applications are no longer being accepted for WMA 2022. Please check back soon for details about WMA 2023.

Selection Criteria

1. Demonstrates significant contributions to museums or museum-related profession at a local and/or national level
2. Promotes the importance and value of museums to their community or the public through their work on behalf of the museum field or through museum-related work
3. Advocates on behalf of WMA through past attendance at Annual Meeting(s), volunteer service with WMA, or other WMA-related activities

NOTE: Nominations can be submitted by a museum professional at any level or by a trustee if the nominee is an executive director. Individuals cannot self-nominate.

Previous Leadership Award Recipients

The following is a list of WMA's past Leadership Award Recipients, from the inaugural award given in 1991.