ASTC Senior Leaders Summit

Summit Overview
The ASTC Senior Leaders Summit will take an optimistic and realistic look at the future of science and technology centers and museums, as well as the broader science learning and science engagement ecosystems. Summit participants will share real-time approaches to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and engage in strategic visioning toward building stronger and more resilient institutions. Whether you are working to reopen your institutions’ doors or looking to re-envision your strategies for the future, there will be presentations and discussions for you.

The Summit is open to all chief executives of ASTC science center and museum members in good standing. Chief executives may extend an invitation to one guest who is either a member of their institution’s board or senior leadership team.

Summit participants will:

• Engage in strategic visioning conversations with leadership peers across the field

• Learn what has worked during the pandemic and share insights on tactical approaches to recovery and future growth

• Have protected conversations with other senior leaders about challenges you are facing and the questions you have

Designed by Senior Leaders for Senior Leaders
ASTC’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Task Force has led this summit’s agenda design, with input from the ASTC Board of Directors and fellow chief executives of science centers and science museums have crafted two days of thought-provoking presentations and critical discussions.

ASTC has designed the summit around an exploration of the themes emerging from the experiences of the last year, from the practical need to build greater financial resilience into our business models to the strategic opportunities to meet community needs in new ways and on a range of fronts, including rebuilding public trust in science, addressing racial justice, and creating STEM opportunities for all.

Both days of the summit will speak to these themes. Each day will be divided into several 60–90-minute sessions that focus on key strategies and a specific topic of discussion, which will be further refined through participant input. Breakout groups will be organized based on shared questions and common institutional challenges.

Participant-Driven Discussions
As a leadership summit, each agenda topic will be further shaped by input from participants and discussions will center on the questions, topics, and priorities of the leaders in attendance. Senior leaders will provide key information that will enable ASTC to tailor each session to meet the diverse needs of participants. Pre-summit participant input, on the registration form and in a pre-summit survey, will include:

• A specific question, challenge, or opportunity that you are wrestling with that you would like to explore with other leaders in the field

• A novel approach to recovery or a new strategic direction that your institution is working on, that may be applied to other institutions or inform their thinking, that you would like to share with the field

• A resource from inside or outside the science center field that is helping you and your team tackle the questions above in your institution

Outcomes
Broadly, participants in this summit will explore where the science and technology center and museum field is currently and where it is headed. By surfacing what is working, recognizing where challenges persist, and facilitating meaningful exchange of ideas, ASTC aims to identify new opportunities for ongoing collaboration and collective action by ASTC members to strengthen our field as a whole.

At an individual level, the summit will provide senior leaders of science and technology centers and museums with:

• Personal support, development, and enrichment through shared learning, in-depth discussions, and strengthened connections with peers

• Leadership strategies for revitalizing your strategy and leading your team through ongoing challenges and in new directions

• Institutional approaches to making difficult changes and creating the organizational and operational structures that support both short-term recovery and long-term resilience