For 75 years, the Southeastern Museums Conference has connected museum professionals, strengthened institutions, and championed the value of museums across the Southeast. SEMC has grown alongside the field it serves—adapting to change while remaining rooted in collaboration, professional excellence, and shared purpose.

This anniversary year is both a celebration and a call to action. As museums face new challenges and opportunities, SEMC remains committed to supporting professionals at every career stage and ensuring museums continue to serve their communities with relevance and impact.

SEMC Council, March 2025

SEMC Through the Years: 

SEMC’s history is shaped by the people, institutions, and ideas that have defined museum work in the Southeast. Below are just a few milestones from our 75-year journey.

1950s-1960s

SEMC founded to support museums in the Southeast

1951: SEMC was established at a meeting in Norfolk, Virginia. It was agreed that the organization should include the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia. SEMC’s first task was to appoint a committee to get the Southeast included in a Congressional bill to appropriate money to provide places of safe-keeping for museum objects in case of war. 

1956: Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia petitioned to join SEMC. The Council suggested they form their own organization, today known as the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. 

1959: First five-year plan and added Arkansas to the SEMC.

1960: Hosted two professional development workshops in North Carolina on museum training and historic house restoration. 

1960s: Hired first SEMC staff with $25,000 foundation grant to carry out further training workshops; SEMC urged the American Alliance (formerly Association) of Museums to formulate a museum accreditation program.

1969: SEMC established a three-day annual meeting.

1970s-1980s
Expansion of annual meetings and professional networks

1970s: Local arrangements and program committees were established for the annual meeting; SEMC published a directory of educational resources. 

1977: SEMC was officially incorporated; and exhibitors were added to the annual meeting.

1982: Moved the central offices of SEMC to Memphis.

1986: Moved SEMC offices to Baton Rouge.

Early logo for the Southeastern Museums Conference

1990s 
Growth in regional advocacy and collaboration

1992: A full-time Executive Director and a Director of Office and Memberships services had been hired. Shortly after that, SEMC’s endowment was established to promote financial stability.

1996: The JumpStart Program began. This program flourished during the first decade of the 21st century and is now known as the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), offering an eight-day intensive museum training to museum professionals with two years’ experience or more.

Hands on training at the Jekyll Island Management Institute 

2000s -2010s
Expanded professional development & digital engagement

2003: Moved the central offices of SEMC to Atlanta.

2005: SEMC established a Hurricane Katrina grant fund and awarded over $500,000 to museums and museum employees affected by the storm in Mississippi and Louisiana. 

2010: SEMC established a partnership with Atlanta History Center where the SEMC offices relocated. 

2012: SEMC Endowment Established

2017: SEMC, the five other regional museum associations, five state museum associations, including Florida and Virginia, and the American Alliance of Museums completed the 2017 National Museum Salary Survey.

2018: Leadership Institute Planning and Development Begins

2019:  With the Association of African American Museums and the National Association for Interpretation, SEMC co-sponsored NMAAHC’s Interpretation of African American History and Culture Workshop, presented in partnership with the Charleston County Parks and Recreation Commission. 

Inside SEMC, Fall 2019

2020s 
Virtual programs, equity-focused work, and regional resilience

2020: Leadership Institute Launched

2020: Virtual Program Series Launched

2022: SEMC staff expands to include an Executive Director, Membership Manager and Program Coordinator

2022: Handumy Jean Tahan Museum Fund is Established to support paid internships

2023: Jekyll Island Management Institute relaunch 

2025: Significant Endowment growth

SEMC Leadership Institute Cohort - 2022

A Special 75th Anniversary Opportunity

In celebration of SEMC’s 75th anniversary, we are offering a limited-time opportunity in 2026 to join SEMC as a Lifetime Member for $750.

Lifetime Membership is a meaningful way to demonstrate long-term commitment to SEMC and the museum field while receiving the benefits of membership for life—without the need for annual renewal.

Lifetime Members receive:

• Lifetime SEMC membership at all individual membership levels

• Continued access to member pricing for programs and events

• Recognition as a SEMC 75th Anniversary Lifetime Member

• The satisfaction of supporting SEMC’s long-term sustainability

This one-time opportunity is available only during 2026 as part of SEMC’s 75th anniversary celebration.

Become a Lifetime Member for $750

Lifetime membership purchases support SEMC’s mission and long-term organizational health.

• 75th Anniversary Virtual Program Series

• Expanded Member Mingles and In-Person Workshops

• 2026 Annual Meeting in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

• Leadership Institute Evaluation and Future Planning

75 for 75: Investing in SEMC’s Next Chapter

To honor SEMC’s 75th anniversary, we’ve launched the 75 for 75 Campaign—a year-long effort to raise $75,000 in 2026 to support SEMC’s mission and future work.

Gifts to SEMC’s general operations support:

• Paid internships for students and emerging professionals

• Annual meeting scholarships

• Professional development programs and member events

• Long-term organizational sustainability

This campaign is about participation as much as dollars. Every gift—at every level—helps ensure SEMC remains a strong, responsive professional home for museum workers across the Southeast.

Student/Professional Mentor Meet-Up at SEMC2025