The Museum Trustee Association series on working with Boards is a wonderful resource for them and the director. The templates lay out best practices for board members--participating in strategic planning, engaging in accreditation, and empowering them to work with the director ensure the museum’s financial stability.

Nancy Doll, director, Weatherspoon Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro

MTA’s templates have been extremely helpful to our Board of Trustees and our staff. They provide relevant and useful information that is easy to use. Their “real world” orientation makes them essential tools for any museum.

Bruce Eldredge, executive director, Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, WY

The MTA templates are a most useful tool for governance and board development committees everywhere. They are simple to customize and to collate--great attributes for museums like ours. I've even used them for non-museum organizations wishing to survey the talents and skills on their boards.

Lynn Homeier Rauch, vice president, Board of Trustees and chair of Governance and Board Development Committee, Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD

More than planners, the authors are themselves accomplished strategic thinkers and they bring that approach to this useful book. Strategic Thinking and Planning will take a Board and Staff through all of the steps of strategic planning from assembling a planning team right through to periodic review of the completed plan. The templates help keep planners on track, which is particularly useful for do-it-yourself planning processes.

David W. Ellis, president emeritus, Museum of Science, Boston

Daryl Fischer and Laura Roberts’ new book, Strategic Thinking and Planning, shines with their years of experience and thoughtful reflection combined with that of other leaders in the field. Just reading it is a useful education. Strategic Planning and Thinking is not a one-size-fits-all, but is designed to work for boards and staff in museums large and small, new or old. I will use it often.

Anne Butterfield, Principal, Anne Butterfield Company