The Center for the Future of Museums is a result of the collective efforts of the staff of the American Association of Museums, and a large and growing network of volunteers. The AAM staff dedicated to coordinating these efforts are:

(M.A. Duke University, B.S. Yale University, Museum Management Institute)

Merritt has 15 years experience in museums, including administration, curation and collections management. Before joining AAM in 1999, she was Director, Collections and Research, at Cincinnati Museum Center, responsible for the administration of the curation, collections management, research, and conservation efforts related to the natural history and science, history, and children's museums. Her areas of expertise include museum standards and best practices, ethics, collections management and planning, and assessment of nonprofit performance. She is a Master Gardener, a competitive fencer, and serves as chair of the fundraising taskforce for the Yale Fencing Association.

Guzel duChateau, Program Coordinator, Center for the Future of Museums

(B.A., Art History, Mary Washington College)

DuChateau grew up overseas in Bulgaria, the former Soviet Union, Jerusalem and Finland. After graduating from Mary Washington College, she interned at Hudson + Salah Art Conservation in New Orleans. She spent three years at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian Museum Stores. She joined the staff of AAM in March 2007.

About the American Association of Museums

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.