Countless museum professionals make invaluable contributions to the field. They accomplish personal and institutional goals, mentor their colleagues, and safegaurd the future of museums. However, they can go unrecognized for this important work.

The Western Museums Association (WMA) is accepting nominations for the 2015 Director’s Chair Award in recognition of these unsung heroes. The Director’s Chair Award is designed to showcase and acknowledge outstanding achievements in the museum profession. The Award is presented annually to an individual who has had a significant and lasting impact on museum practices and/or the museum profession in the Western Region. Please note that nominees can be working in any discipline.

The deadline for 2015 Director's Chair Award Nominations is
July 15, 2015

The following guidelines will be considered in the selection of the Director’s Chair Award recipient:

• Performance at a sustained level of excellence in service to museums or the museum profession
• Development and/or implementation of a specific project that has made a major contribution to museums or the museum profession
• A significant contribution to museums or the museum profession at a national level 
• Promotion of excellence and recognized value to the public and the community through their museum, institution, or profession

Jim Tharp, Trustee, Telluride Historical Museum and former WMA Board Member, received the 2014 Director’s Chair Award. Aldona Jonaitis, Director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North and former WMA Board Member, described his contributions to WMA:

Jim is remarkably passionate about things being done right; this is coupled with strong opinions about what's right and what's wrong. He is a genuinely dedicated, caring person who did what some thought not possible. What a treasure. By ensuring the health of WMA, Jim has helped every museum in this region. For this service to the entire museum community, he is so very deserving of the WMA director's chair.

WMA President Kippen de Alba Chu describes Jim as, "The right person at the right time for difficult decisions. Through his leadership WMA is the best position for I don't know how long."

Learn more about the Director's Chair Award

To submit a nomination for the Director’s Chair Award, please fill out a Nomination Form and submit a letter outlining the nominee’s qualifications and how they meet the above criteria. The letter must include specific examples as to how the nominee meets some or all of the above criteria. The Award nomination deadline is July 15, 2015. Please send all nominations to the Review Committee at proposals@westmuse.org.