On January 1, 2020, Museums Alaska reached an important milestone. We hired our first, full-time employee. This is an administrative change. Support long furnished by a contractor will now be provided by a staff member. The Museums Alaska Board of Directors enacted this change to advance the organization’s mission and professionalize our practices. We are proud of this achievement and the stability it brings to Museums Alaska.

The development of a staff position was part of our organizational strategic plan and took several years to implement. Although there is no change in cost, Museums Alaska needed policies and procedures to support staff management. Under the leadership of past President Molly Conley, and current President Monica Garcia Itchoak, that work is now complete.

Della Hall, who has served as our contract Executive Director since February of 2017, has accepted the new staff position with the same title. She will continue to serve as Museums Alaska’s Executive Director from our office at the University of Alaska Museum of the North.

Della came to Alaska in 2013, as an intern with the Alaska State Museum Grant-in-Aid program and has experience with museums across the state. She has worked for the Pioneer Air Museum, University of Alaska Museum of the North, Tanana Valley Railroad Museum, Alaska & Polar Regions Collections & Archives at University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Western History Association. She joined the Museums Alaska Board of Directors in 2015 and stepped down to become our Executive Director. She served on the Alaska State Historical Records Advisory Board and is a current board member for the Coalition of State Museum Associations.

Please help us say thank you to Della for her continued service. We are lucky to have a skilled and dedicated employee with a passion for Alaska’s museums. This change in position provides Della with the opportunity to more actively shape the work of Museums Alaska. We look forward to supporting her.