October 2026 Newsletter
Newsletter Compiled by Perry Raymond and Melissa Pankuch Hernandez, NEMPN Board Members at Large
We’re Getting a Makeover…
Happy October EMPs!
This month’s newsletter is looking a little different. Pardon our dust while we transition into using a new platform for our email newsletters. We recently realized our previous mail server could no longer keep up with our growing amount of EMP subscribers — so we’re taking this as a good thing!
But as per usual, we’ve got lots of updates to share, so keep reading to save some dates and read our latest This or That! by Neecole Gregory, which covers all the bases of what to know about conferences.
Not Every Lanyard is Worth It: A Reality Check for Museum Conferences
October Edition of This or That! by Neecole Gregory, M.A., NEMPN Committee Member
The museum sector has a fascinating, enduring obsession with the professional conference, as most fields do. In ours, these gatherings are often presented as the ultimate career cure-all. If you are feeling hopelessly burnt out, leadership suggests you attend a conference to recharge your passion for the field. If you are desperate for a promotion, you are told to go network in a city’s convention center. If you are trying to solve systemic institutional rot or a multi-decade backlog, there is undoubtedly a panel session designed to give you all the answers you seek. Right?
The glossy brochures and call-for-proposals always promise profound enlightenment, a sense of community, and a chance to see how other institutions are surviving. But when your professional development budget is practically nonexistent, and you are already functioning as the collections manager, the education coordinator, and the marketing department all rolled into one, you must be absolutely ruthless about where you spend your time and your money. Not every lanyard is worth the price of admission, and the pressure to participate in this circuit can often feel like just another manifestation of the passion tax.
…To help map it out, I am going to break down the reality of the GLAM conference circuit straight from my point of view during my very first time attending each tier.
Upcoming Opportunities
From Informational Interview to Real Connection | November 2nd | 2pm ET
On November 2nd at 2pm ET join the National Emerging Museum Professional Network and the American Alliance of Museums as they team up to demystify one of the most useful tools for building your professional network - informational interviews!
Reaching out to someone you do not know, knowing what questions to ask, and trying to establish a genuine professional connection can feel intimidating.
“From Informational Interview to Real Connection”is a FREE interactive workshop designed to help emerging and mid-career museum professionals feel more confident approaching and conducting informational interviews. Museum professionals Jessica Meis, current NEMPN President, and Sierra Van Ryck deGroot, former NEMPN President, will walk participants through the different stages of an informational interview.
Then, you’ll have the chance to put those skills into practice with your peers in the moment. Low stakes and all reward!
Come with your questions, curiosity, and an interest in meeting others in the field.
Register at the link below! https://www.aam-us.org/event/informational-interviews-with-nempn/
Bubbles for Your Troubles | Gentle Goal Setting for 2027: Clarity, Capacity, and Care | October 27th | 8pm ET
Join NEMPN and Museum Wellness Strategist and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Ashley Witherspoon for another Bubbles for Your Troubles on October 27th at 8pm ET.
This is our last Bubbles of 2026!
What can you expect during Bubbles for Your Troubles?
A supportive virtual space for emerging museum professionals preparing for the year ahead with intention and steadiness. This session offers a gentle, trauma‑informed approach to goal setting, helping participants clarify their values, map their capacity realistically, and create sustainable goals for 2027 without overwhelm. Together, we’ll explore care‑centered planning tools, grounding practices, and strategies to move into the new year with confidence, clarity, and emotional wellbeing.
Learn more about Ashley and her work HERE.
Volunteer Spotlight
Neecole Gregory here!
Yes, that’s a unique way to spell Nicole. When I’m feeling fancy, I tell people it’s based on the Greek spelling meaning “victory of the people.” In reality, it’s only because my mother did not like the nickname “Nikki” that came with the more popular spelling! Currently, I am a Maryland native living in West Tennessee, but not forever as I yearn to be returned to coastal states.
I have been volunteering with NEMPN for about six years now, primarily in advocacy. When I joined during the pandemic in 2020, I was looking for a low-impact place to plug into the museum community, but it has grown into so much more. Having that network to weather the highs and lows of this industry is indispensable because sometimes it is just nice to talk to a cohort that gets it, you know?
About Neecole
I am an Egyptology and archaeology transplant, fueled almost entirely by a lifelong obsession sparked by the 1999 film The Mummy. Up until I swapped majors during my first year of grad school, I had not really seen museums as a place to actually have a job! I received my Bachelor of Arts from Randolph-Macon College before pursuing my Master of Arts with specializations in Classical Studies, Archaeology, and Museum Studies. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to work across different institutional spaces, from serving as the Gallery Coordinator at the Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art to my current roles as the Museum Director at the Morton Museum of Collierville History and an adjunct art history instructor for academic institutions across Tennessee.
I joined NEMPN in 2020 when I was invited by the regional director at the time. Over the years, I've watched the network fade almost completely out, but it always rises from the ashes a little bit stronger each time. It wasn't always easy to find a place or an outlet during the low times, so the remaining advocacy group and I created @PayYourMuses. It started out as a place to vent our frustrations with the current state of unpaid internships, but it has grown into a genuine, unfiltered touchpoint for emerging museum professionals. We’ve coined the phrase “goblin energy in the boardroom” to describe the vibe!
Because of this journey, museums have completely shifted for me. They went from being static depositories for the things I wanted to dig up out in the field to dynamic spaces where experiences can be manifested in a million different ways using the exact same collection. I like to call them "culture thermometers." Instead of just holding the past, they allow me to tap into the community, gauge what people actively care about today, and reflect those stories back to them in highly interactive ways. It is a level of community connection I could not have ever imagined when I was strictly focused on archaeology.
That is probably why when the head of the Egyptology department recommended my transfer to Museum Studies, the missing pieces of my obsession with history finally fell into place. I now get to rant and rave about history to not only my students but also museum visitors without getting weird looks!
Outside of work and advocacy, I am a frequent flyer who travels to new cities simply to explore their museums and famous collections. Luckily, my frequent presence as a speaker at industry events in places like Philadelphia and Providence almost makes it a job expense, right? I also love to travel on my stomach, collecting recipes to bring back and test out on my friends and family at home.
Upcoming Events at-a-Glance
October 21st at 7:30pm ET | Accountabilibuddies
A night of support from your fellow EMPs! If you need some accountability to work on job applications, a big project, or anything else, make sure you join us on Discord every other Wednesday at 7:30ET for Accountabilibuddies! Hang out, body double, and mark some things of your to do list with some of our fantastic committee members!
October 26th at 8pm ET | NEMPN Committee Meeting
October 27th at 8pm ET | Bubbles for Your Troubles | Gentle Goal Setting for 2027: Clarity, Capacity, and Care
Register here: https://luma.com/vbih6kda
November 2nd at 2pm ET | From Informational Interview to Real Connection
Register here: https://www.aam-us.org/event/informational-interviews-with-nempn/
Save the Date! April 19th and 20th, 2027 | Museum Workers Advocacy Day 2027
This year, guided by feedback from our members, we’re highlighting challenges facing the field such as: the lack of stable, full-time employment opportunities, chronic underfunding of museums, the struggle for workers to maintain a healthy work/life balance, and growing concerns around censorship and institutional independence.
Register and keep track of signature NEMPN Events like Bubbles, Accountabilibuddies, or MWAD by visiting our Luma page!
It’s Sweater Weather… Bundle Up in NEMPN Merch
Leaves are falling… temperatures are dropping… and a new museum advocacy hoodie is calling our name!!
NEMPN sweatshirts make the perfect addition for cozy season. Bundle up this fall and show off your EMP swag.
Your contributions allow NEMPN to provide free events and resources to EMPs such as Museum Workers Advocacy Day 2027! All proceeds support NEMPN’s efforts to make the museum field a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible space for all.
Visit our website’s shop to pick up other essentials like stickers, totes, or mugs!
Help Fellow EMPs Stay in the Loop
NEMPN programs are free for all to attend. We know we aren’t reaching all EMPs so please help us by forwarding this newsletter and future emails to colleagues!
Also make sure you stay in the loop by joining our Discord server!
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