Today we’d like to introduce you to Zinnia Willits.
Hi Zinnia, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in the Chicago suburbs and attended the University of Illinois as an undergrad; my original major was Advertising/Communications. All it took was one Anthropology class to change my course completely. I switched my major to anthropology with a minor in historical archaeology, but I needed to figure out what to do with that as a career. I knew I was interested in the courses in a way that I had not connected with the other classes. In my junior year, I discovered an advertisement for internships at the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC, on the Anthropology Department bulletin board (showing my age here) and, for the first time, connected the possibility of museum work with my (somewhat random) major. I spent that summer in Washington, DC, interning at the National Museum of American History and working with a collection manager cataloging a group of objects from the 1939 New York Worlds Fair. It was an incredible experience, and that summer, my path became very clear -museum collections management.
Upon graduation, I headed to the University of South Carolina to pursue a master’s in Public History with a concentration in museum studies. My student assistantship at USC was at the McKissick Museum, where I learned all the practical aspects of managing museum collections. My time at USC was transformational, and I fell in love with South Carolina. Once I graduated, doors began to open in terms of jobs. I headed to Atlanta, Georgia, to work in collections at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University, which was a fantastic experience caring for different types of objects than I had previously encountered. My career journey continued, and I next spent a few years in Augusta, Georgia, managing collections at the Augusta Museum of History. At that point, life started to have a different impact on my career trajectory. I got married (my husband, Andy, had just completed a master’s Degree in English at the University of South Carolina), and we moved to Charleston when he was offered a job teaching at Charleston Day School. The museum community in Charleston is relatively small, and jobs turn over infrequently (maybe that is changing), so I had to build my Charleston network to find a way in. My first Charleston job was at the College of Charleston, working in the Special Collections Department, processing archival collections related to Jewish life in Charleston dating back to Colonial times. It was fascinating, and I couldn’t have had a better mentor for this work than Harlan Green and the rest of the library staff. Even though I was doing work related to collections, my goal was still to make it back into museums. After about a year in Charleston, that door opened. The Gibbes Museum of Art needed to fill a Registrar position. I had made a point of getting to know the staff at the museum and making them aware of my experience and availability. Ongoing networking, even during transitional career phases, is so important. I was hired at the Gibbes in 2003 and spent the next 17 years working at the art museum, a job I loved, working with the stellar collections. I had several titles over the years, including Registrar and Collections Manager, up to my final Director of Collections and Operations title. This signified my expanded role at the museum after the 2014-2016 major facility renovation and expansion.
Throughout my career, ongoing professional development has always been important to me. Fortunately, employers (particularly at the Gibbes) supported my active involvement in professional associations. I had several leadership roles in the South Carolina Federation of Museums, eventually taking a turn as President of the organization. I am an accreditation reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums and a grant reviewer for IMLS and NEH. I was also heavily involved with the Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC), the regional professional organization representing museums and museum staff across the southeast. I presented many sessions at the SEMC annual conference, served as chair of the Programs Committee, and was eventually elected President of the SEMC Board. In 2019, SEMC had its annual meeting in Charleston, SC, drawing over 800 museum professionals to the city for three days of professional development; I served as local arrangments chair for SEMC 2019. In early 2020, the SEMC Executive Director announced her retirement. I felt called to lead this organization, and while I was sad to leave my role at the Gibbes Museum of Art, a job I loved, I started as Executive Director for the Southeastern Museums Conference in May 2020 (not an ideal time to switch jobs), a role I still hold today.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always struggles. Balancing career and family has been a struggle for 20 years. We have two children (Gray, 20, and Ella, 17), and I was determined to be as present for them as I was for my museum jobs. Travel has always been part of my role, and the toll that it takes on a family can be difficult. There were struggles with career trajectory – looking at the organizational chart and staff size at the Gibbes, at points, it took a lot of work to think about how to move up/forward without leaving Charleston (which we did not want to do). However, that’s where leadership roles in professional organizations fill some needs. I also picked up adjunct teaching positions with George Washington University and the College of Charleston – also work that helped me continue to grow professionally. The struggles with/for SEMC during the COVID years (and even today) have been extreme. We are a membership-based organization with an operational model, and most of our operating revenue is based on a large, in-person annual gathering. That was turned on its head during my very first months on the job. There was no time to adjust. I just had to “do” for the organization, for the membership, meet the moment, and navigate the disruption—the opposite of smooth.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As SEMC Executive Director, I oversee all organizational operations and events related to our regional professional association. We have two additional staff members who are concentrating on membership and SEMC programs. I oversee a 3-day annual meeting that moves to different locations in the southeast each year and draws 600-800 museum professionals. SEMC also offers monthly virtual programs, a five-day in-person Leadership Institute, and the 8-day Jekyll Island Museum Management Institute; I facilitate all the experiences and make it a point to be available for career development advice, mentoring, etc., for whoever needs me. SEMC is known as the friendliest professional conference, and I believe in making this statement authentic. We are inclusive, welcoming, and purposefully dedicated to ensuring our membership, conference, and programs represent the southeast region’s diversity, complexity, and unique aspects. I also bring that same level of personal attention and inclusion to the graduate classes I teach in Arts Administration and Collections Management. I want to help open doors for those embarking on these (often challenging) careers in museums and non-profit arts and culture, and my interest and attention are genuine. I have also made it a point to stay connected to my Gibbes Museum family, attending events and serving on museum committees. I believe in collaboration, community, and sharing my experiences – all part of leadership.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
My job has not been easy these last few years. We are a very small staff; my office is in Atlanta (with a home office in Charleston), and I have been on the road for programs, conferences, meetings, etc. The burnout factor is real, but the work is vital. I always strive to find balance, set boundaries, and be fully present for my family—a work in progress. I am a runner (at least 20 miles each week); that is what I do to unplug. We are a busy family (son at college at Indiana University, daughter a high school senior and headed to the University of South Carolina in the fall). Still, one of the things we have always done together is play golf – a tremendous advantage of living in the SC Lowcountry. Also, my kids have grown up in museums. In every location (beach, mountains, big cities, etc.) we visit, we take in at least one museum. They appreciate my work and the environments it has exposed them to. My parents still live in the Chicago area, so we try a different Chicago museum each time we visit. We’ve been to a lot of them!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.semcdirect.net
- Instagram: willits_z
- Facebook: Zinnia Willits
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zinnia-willits-a669414/
Image Credits
MCG Photography
