Westchester Children’s Museum Director Named

Westchester Children’s Museum Director Named

Peer Reviewer for American Association of Museums

Position Helps Assess and Improve Museums Nationwide  

Westchester County, N.Y. (July 22, 2011) – Tracy Kay, Executive Director of the Westchester Children’s Museum, has been selected to serve as a Museum Assessment Program Peer Reviewer for the American Association of Museums (AAM). Selection for this program is extended only to qualified museum professionals who have significant museum experience and a proven understanding of the museum field. Applicants to the Peer Review Program are expected to demonstrate a record of active participation in the field-wide dialogue of museum operations, standards, best practices, and emerging ideas. 

Peer Reviewers volunteer their time to support AAM’s Accreditation and Museum Assessment Programs. These two programs allow AAM to ensure that museums around the nation are performing up to current standards and best practices, and provide support and resources for museums that are looking to improve. “Westchester Children’s Museum is proud to have its Director selected for this esteemed honor,” said WCM President Corinne Zola. “Tracy’s designation as a Peer Reviewer for AAM speaks to his significant museum knowledge and further demonstrates WCM’s experienced team of professionals.”    

When chosen for an assignment, a Peer Reviewer is expected to read a museum’s self-study, visit the museum to observe its operations firsthand, and write a report on their findings. The role of a Peer Reviewer, while demanding, provides a unique opportunity for professional development as well as the chance to learn from other institutions. 

“Peer Reviewers play an integral role in the museum field’s on-going efforts toward self-improvement,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “Peer reviewers demonstrate a commitment to their profession that is exemplary. Their selfless service enables museums across the country to better meet their obligations to the public trust.” 

As a Peer Reviewer for AAM, Tracy Kay brings a deep history and vast knowledge of operation and management of cultural and educational institutions. His over thirty years of experience in the field has provided him with a broad overview of best practices in operations, as well as frontline experience in fundraising, capital campaigns, feasibility studies, strategic planning, team building, facilities management, membership development, and marketing. Kay has held executive positions at Rye Nature Center, Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation & Museums, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, and most recently, as Executive Director for Westchester Children’s Museum, a hire that represented the successful conclusion of a year-long national search from among a broad range of museum, education, and non-profit professionals. 

Until its physical home is built, Westchester Children’s Museum is dedicated to fulfilling its educational mission through its Museum Without Walls program, which has brought hands-on educational programs to nearly 3,000 regional children since launching in March 2010. The program was launched and continues to grow under the leadership of Tracy Kay and a committed team of educators.   

About Westchester Children’s Museum

The Westchester Children’s Museum (WCM) will be a learning laboratory providing children, families, and school groups throughout Westchester County and the surrounding region the opportunity to nurture curiosity, enhance knowledge, and ignite imagination through hands-on exploration. The WCM is committed to broadening knowledge of the arts, the environment, multiculturalism, and the local and global communities in an educational and recreational atmosphere. For more information about WCM, please visit www.discoverWCM.org.  

About AAM

The American Association of Museums has been bringing museums together since 1906, helping to develop standards and best practices, gathering and sharing knowledge, and providing advocacy on issues of concern to the entire museum community. With more than 15,000 individual, 3,000 institutional, and 300 corporate members, AAM is dedicated to ensuring that museums remain a vital part of the American landscape, connecting people with the greatest achievements of the human experience, past, present and future. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.  

Press Contact:

Barbara Wollenberg / Co-Communications

914.666.0066 / barbara@cocommunicatios.com  
 

Tracy Kay, Executive Director for Westchester Children’s Museum, has been selected as a Museum Assessment Program Peer Reviewer for the American Association of Museums.