Stuart Ashman has been the Secretary of Cultural Affairs for the State of New Mexico since September 2003. He is the former executive director of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he was its first director and oversaw the institution’s transition from a volunteer society to a professional museum. Prior to this, he was the director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of New Mexico, in Santa Fe. Also in New Mexico, he was the Director/Curator of The Governor’s Gallery exhibition space and served as the state’s arts representative. Mr. Ashman’s career has included numerous international activities such as serving as a State Department Expert Speaker on museum management and administration in Venezuela and Argentina. In 2002 he was the recipient of the Santa Fe Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Art: Arts Administration. Mr. Ashman earned his B.A in Photography and Fine Arts from The City University of New York. He is also a 1998 alum of the Getty Leadership Institute’s Museum Management Institute.

Commission term: 2003-2009

Carol Enseki has been with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (BCM) since 1989 and has served as President since 1997. She has led the museum’s efforts to increase educational opportunities for urban children through interactive science and cultural exhibitions and programs, innovative use of collections, and strategic collaborations with both local community organizations and national partners. Ms. Enseki’s current focus is on furthering the museum’s goals to support family involvement in learning, provide science and cultural education opportunities, and enrich out-of-school learning opportunities for youth. Ms. Enseki is active in and has served on the boards of: the Cultural Institutions Group of New York City, Brooklyn Arts Council, Heart of Brooklyn Cultural Partnership, American Association of Museums, Association of Children’s Museums, and the Arts & Business Council, Inc. She holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.A. in Environmental Design from Beacon College.

Commission term: 2005-2011

Andrew E. Masich is the President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center. A leader in the field of public history and frequent presenter at AAM and AASLH meetings, Masich is known nationally for his lectures on museum exhibitions, management and humor. He is an Emmy-award-winning producer of PBS short subject history films and widely acclaimed as an author of books on American Indians and the Civil War.Masich has an MA in History from the University of Arizona. He is the former Vice President of the Colorado Historical Society, and former Director of the Arizona Historical Society (Phoenix), both AAM accredited institutions. He is a past member of the AASLH Council, and Seminar for Historical Administration faculty.

Commission term: 2004-2010

Mary Sue Sweeney Price joined The Newark Museum as Director of Programs and Publications in 1980 and since then has served as the museum’s Assistant Director and Deputy Director; she was appointed the museum’s sixth Director and CEO in 1993. During this time she has been responsible for curatorial, exhibition, and educational programming functions, strategic planning, and coordinating a massive facility renovation. She has been an active peer reviewer for AAM’s standards and excellence programs, and held leadership roles in AAMD, the Newark Arts Council, ArtTable, and local civic organizations. Ms. Price also participates actively in the field as an author/editor, speaker, and panel moderator. The Newark Museum has been accredited museum since 1972, and represents the fields of art, history, and natural science. It has a private non profit governance structure and a budget of approximately $18M. The museum is recognized as a leader in museum education.

Commission term: 2008-2013

Claire Sawyers has been the director of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College since 1990, overseeing the arboretum's collections and gardens on the 300 plus acre campus-arboretum established in 1929. The Arboretum was accredited by AAM in 1995 and reaccredited in 2004. Previously she worked at Mt. Cuba Center for the Study of Piedmont Flora in Greenville Delaware for 7 years and she has gardened at private and public gardens in Belgium, France and Japan in addition to American gardens. She holds a M.S. from the University of Delaware where she was a Longwood Fellow in the Public Garden Administration program and she obtained a museum studies certificate as a part of that program. She also holds an M.Ag. and B.S. from Purdue University in Ornamental Horticulture. She is the author of The Authentic Garden: Five Principles for Cultivating a Sense of Place (Timber Press, 2008). She was awarded the American Horticultural Society’s Professional Award in 2009 and has been recognized by both Purdue University and the University of Delaware with distinguished alumni awards.

Commission term: 2004-2010

Bonnie W. Styles has been with the Illinois State Museum since 1977 and has served as its Director since 2006. During her tenure at the museum she served in several capacities including the Chair and Curator of Anthropology, Director of Sciences, and the Associate Museum Director--Science and Education. As a result, she has been directly engaged in all aspects of museum operation from administration to oversight and implementation of education, collections, exhibition, and research programs. In addition to the flagship Illinois State Museum and Research and Collections Center in Springfield, she oversees the five other facilities that make up the Illinois State Museum System. Dr. Styles is active in, and has served as an officer of, many national and regional professional societies and not for profit organizations in the fields of science, archeology, and anthropology. She is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of Science Museum Directors and has served as President of the Midwest Archeological Conference. Dr. Styles holds a Ph.D. and M.A in Anthropology from Northwestern University, and B.A. from Arizona State University. She has published and presented extensively, directed numerous competitive grant funded projects, and received many awards and honors, including election as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Commission term: 2007-2013; 2009-2012 (Chair)

James A. Welu has been Director of the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA since 1986. Prior to this he was the museum’s Chief Curator (1980-86), Associate Curator (1976-80) and Assistant Curator (1974-76). He holds a Ph.D. in Art History from Boston University and a Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Welu is a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors (AAMD), and served in several leadership role in the organization, including Trustee, Vice President, and President. He served on AAM’s Ethical Concerns Task Force and is affiliated with the College Art Association and the New England Museum Association. Dr. Welu has also been an active Accreditation Visiting Committee member and participated in the first Museums & Community Dialogue in Providence, RI in July 2000. In 2004 he taught at AAM’s professional education seminar “Current Issues in Collections Stewardship: Collections Planning.” He also serves on a number of university and art museum advisory boards, and is active in a number of community organizations.

Commission terms: 2000-2006; 2006-2012; 2006-2009 (Chair)