The oklahoma museums association (OMA), in partnership with the mountain plains museums association (mpma), will support transformative professional development for newly emerging museum…

The Oklahoma Museums Association (OMA), in partnership with the Mountain Plains Museums Association (MPMA), received a $201,164 Project Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the 21st Century Museum Professional Program (CFDA 45.032) to develop and deliver transformative professional development for emerging museum administrators in small and mid-sized museums across a ten-state region. The award, dated October 1, 2025, with completion targeted for September 30, 2028, will support the creation of an in-person leadership training institute serving 30 selected participants from across Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, as well as the development of openly accessible digital learning modules for on-demand distribution by both OMA and MPMA.

The project will deliver three key products and services: a formal assessment of regional needs for new leader training in small and mid-sized museums; an in-person professional development institute with targeted curriculum for emerging administrators; and reusable, publicly available digital learning modules designed to extend access to leadership training beyond the in-person cohort. Additionally, the initiative will foster collaborative professional development networks within the region, supporting the program's objective to develop new or enhanced professional development and training programs for the museum workforce.

The oklahoma museums association (OMA), in partnership with the mountain plains museums association (mpma), will support transformative professional development for newly emerging museum administrators in small and mid-sized museums across the ten-state region by creating and implementing an in-person institute and readily available openly accessible digital content modules. The in-person training will be provided to 30 applicants selected from across the ten-state region that includes texas, new mexico, oklahoma, kansas, colorado, nebraska, wyoming, south dakota, north dakota, and montana. This project will formally assess the need for new leader training in the region, provide insight for developing in-person leadership training, create reusable digital learning modules for on-demand access for both OMA and mpma to distribute, and foster professional development training collaboration within the region.