Team,
Happy Monday!
Today, we welcome back Hershell Hardimon as our new Director of Crew Operations. This role—originally inspired by a volunteer’s idea—has taken shape to oversee human resources, volunteer services, security, and training.
This development continues a journey we began last year when our team and board workshopped and approved our 2035 goals: to become our Nation’s museum of the future—one built on a people-first culture that exemplifies professional excellence. Over the past year, we’ve experienced many changes, each making us stronger and more focused on the goals ahead.
On October 1, we took a major step forward by transitioning into an accountable team aligned around those goals. This moment challenges us all to reflect on our strengths, our weaknesses, and—most importantly—our willingness to work together to achieve what we aspire to accomplish.
Personally, this transition has prompted me to reflect on a lifetime of passionate commitment and how to balance that passion with fair and consistent expectations of others. As I’ve worked through our leadership intent and guidelines—which summarize how we collaborate—it has become clear that accountability and policy are the only fair ways to hold all team members to the same standard.
As we move forward, I look to the management and leadership team to model professional excellence and accountability. The foundation of both is communication. This doesn’t mean perfection—but it does mean proactive communication.
- If an outcome is not achievable—communicate.
- If the deck plate is unaware of an update—communicate.
- If a policy or procedure isn’t working as intended—communicate.
- If you can’t accomplish the task – communicate.
A failure to communicate is not an excuse; it’s a missed opportunity to lead. Communication is one of our most important responsibilities, especially for those in management or leadership roles.
Thank you, team, for all that you do—and please reach out if you have any questions.
