Event Information
- Date(s): Monday, November 2, 2026
- Time: 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern Time
- Location: Online
Informational interviews can be one of the most useful tools for building your professional network! But, reaching out to someone you do not know, knowing what questions to ask, and trying to establish a genuine professional connection can feel intimidating.
Join the National Emerging Museum Professional Network and American Alliance of Museums for From Informational Interview to Real Connection, an 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.
Participants will be paired with professionals working across the museum, arts, and cultural sectors for short 15-minute mock informational interviews. Whether this is your first time conducting an informational interview or you simply want to become more comfortable about networking, this workshop offers a supportive, low-stakes opportunity to practice.
Come with your questions, curiosity, and an interest in meeting others in the field!
Speakers:
Jessica Meis
Jessica Meis is a Museum Curator at the Batavia Depot Museum in Batavia, IL and adjunct instructor at Aurora University in Museum Studies. She holds a Bachelor’s in Art History & Latin American Studies from Cornell College and a Master of Arts Management from Columbia College Chicago. Jessica currently serves as President of NEMPN and on the board of the Kane DuPage Regional Museum Association. In all of her work, Jessica is passionate about making the arts and humanities accessible and engaging, while fostering inclusive, community-centered museum practices.
Sierra Van Ryck deGroot
Sierra Van Ryck deGroot is the Associate Educator, Academic and Research Programs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She has a BA in Art, Design, and Interactive Media, Fine Art, and Art History from Seton Hall University and a MSEd in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education. Sierra is the former co-president of the National Emerging Museum Professionals Network, a current board member for ArtTable and on the nominating committee for the National Council on Public History. On her free time, Sierra can be found reading, visiting a museum, or participating in many side quests related to advocating for salary transparency, actionable equity in hiring practices, the abolition of unpaid internships, and the practice of rest for all museum workers.
Recording and Accessibility:
General portions of this event will be recorded and Closed Captioned (live participants can turn on CC). Due to the event platform’s security concerns, breakout discussions will not be recorded and are not captioned.
The recorded portion will be posted on AAM’s website for members. A transcript will be included with the recording when it is available.
It is free to register!
- Login or create your profile at the Register button above.
- Confirm your contact details and proceed through the check out process. You will not be charged.
- After submitting your order, you will receive an order confirmation number – you are registered!
- You will receive both an order confirmation email from AAM and an invite containing the event details to add to your calendar.
If you have not received your confirmation email or invite, please check your email’s spam folder before reaching out to AAM.
The statements and opinions expressed by panelists, hosts, attendees, or other participants of this event are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of, nor are endorsed by, the American Alliance of Museums.
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