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Jill Hartz Appointed as Accreditation Commissioner for American Alliance of Museums

Category: Press Release
Commissioner Jill Hartz stands in front of an architectural element (perhaps a door) smiling with short red curly hair wearing a blue top

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 12, 2016

ARLINGTON, VA–The Board of Directors of the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has ratified the appointment of Jill Hartz as a new accreditation commissioner. Hartz is the executive director of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA) at the University of Oregon in Eugene, a position she’s held since 2008.

Hartz begins her five-year term as accreditation commissioner in January 2017.

“The Alliance has a steady flow of academic art museums in the pipeline for accreditation and re-accreditation, so it’s important to have that expertise on the Accreditation Commission.  Jill brings that expertise, and so much more,” said AAM Board Member and Nominating Committee Chair Kippen de Alba Chu, Executive Director of the Iolani Palace in Honolulu.

The Accreditation Commission is the body responsible for making independent decisions regarding accredited status. It meets three times per year and is made up of museum professionals that collectively bring a wide range of experience and expertise in the museum field. Commissioners serve in a volunteer capacity.

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“In the academic world, accreditation is a widely recognized indicator of excellence,” said Hartz. “Our university presidents and provosts well understand what accreditation means. So, by pursuing it, we help to show that our museums are as important as the degree-granting areas of the university.”

Hartz added that her upcoming service as an Accreditation Commissioner is a good fit for this stage of her career. “I understand a lot about accreditation now, having led three museums through it, and I know that it’s not a cookie-cutter process.  And I believe in accreditation as a process for building excellence in our institutions.”

Before joining JSMA, Hartz was the director of the University of Virginia Art Museum (now Fralin Museum of Art) for a decade, and also worked at Cornell University’s Johnson Museum of Art in various capacities for ten years. During her career she has devoted a substantial amount of volunteer time to advance the professionalism, role, and visibility of academic museums, including having served on the board of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries for more than 10 years, including two terms as president. She has served as an active peer reviewer for both the Museum Assessment Program and Accreditation for more than 20 years.

Learn more about the Accreditation Commissioners

About the American Alliance of Museums

The American Alliance 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. Representing more than 30,000 individual museum professionals and volunteers, institutions, and corporate partners serving the museum field, the Alliance stands for the broad scope of the museum community. For more information, visit www.aam-us.org.

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Media Contact:

Joseph Klem
Director, Public Relations
American Alliance of Museums
202-218-7670
jklem@aam-us.org

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