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JIMI 2027 Instructor Applications Open in April 2026

  

2027 Call for Instructors

The Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) invites proposals for instructors for the 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), a professional development program designed for emerging and mid-career museum professionals. The 2027 The Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) will run January 19 - 26, 2027 on Jekyll Island, Georgia.

JIMI 2027 builds on the Institute’s strong foundation while introducing several key updates to better serve today’s museum workforce. The program will feature a more streamlined curriculum, expanded focus on management and leadership, and increased emphasis on practical, real-world application across institutions of all sizes. The 2027 Institute will once again be structured as a tour of the museum that will allow JIMI participants to identify and discuss best practices in a range of visitor-facing and behind-the-scenes roles in a museum. Rather than taking a deep dive into any particular role, participants will receive an overview and come away with a better understanding of how the roles in a museum work together to form an institution. 

A unifying theme for JIMI 2027 is storytelling, exploring how narrative shapes and strengthens work across all areas of museum practice, from interpretation and education to fundraising, marketing, and leadership.

Museums are, at their heart, storytelling institutions. Whether interpreting objects, building partnerships, securing funding, or welcoming visitors, every museum professional participates in shaping the stories museums tell. The 2027 Jekyll Island Management Institute will focus on storytelling as a foundational skill across departments, exploring how thoughtful narrative can strengthen interpretation, leadership, collaboration, and community connection. 

All instructor proposals should clearly explain how storytelling connects to their session.

About JIMI

JIMI is an intensive, cohort-based experience that provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of museum operations and management. Through a combination of instructional sessions, facilitated discussions, and applied learning, participants gain tools they can immediately implement within their organizations. The 2027 program will introduce a dedicated management-focused component, addressing topics such as supervising staff, organizational culture, and resource management, in response to participant feedback and evolving field needs. 

The Institute emphasizes:

  • Practical, real-world learning
  • Discussion and peer exchange
  • Scenario-based and hands-on activities
  • Connections across museum roles and functions

Each day concludes with a facilitated group exercise or scenario led by that day’s instructors. These exercises help participants apply what they’ve learned and practice real-world decision-making.

Instructor Expectations

We are seeking instructors who can deliver engaging, practical, and inclusive sessions that reflect the realities of today’s museum field.

Strong proposals will:

  • Be grounded in real-world experience
    Draw directly from your own institutional practice, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned.
  • Be scalable across institution types and sizes
    Content should be applicable to organizations with varying staff capacity and budgets, and include practical first steps for smaller or resource-limited institutions.
  • Incorporate hands-on or interactive elements
    Sessions that include group activities, role-playing, or applied exercises are strongly encouraged and consistently rated most valuable by past participants.
  • Integrate storytelling intentionally
    Clearly articulate how storytelling connects to and enhances your session topic.
  • Address inclusion and accessibility in meaningful ways
    Demonstrate how inclusive practices are embedded in both content and delivery.
  • Engage with current tools and technologies
    Share relevant tools, platforms, and approaches used in your work, including practical and ethical considerations related to AI and emerging technologies. 


Session Design

JIMI 2027 will feature a more integrated daily structure, with sessions designed to build toward facilitated group activities and applied learning. Instructors will be asked to contribute to collaborative exercises that reinforce key concepts from the day’s sessions and support participant engagement through scenario-based learning and discussion. Sessions grouped by daily themes. Each day includes a 90-minute group exercise, designed and led by instructors. Participants work collaboratively to solve realistic museum challenges.

Examples may include:

  • Navigating staffing or management challenges
  • Responding to community concerns
  • Making decisions with limited resources
  • Balancing priorities across departments

All selected instructors will contribute to designing and facilitating a group exercise.

Sample Scenario-Based Exercises

Scenario 1: The Budget Crisis
A museum faces a 15% mid-year budget cut. Participants decide how to respond across departments and communicate decisions.

Scenario 2: The Community Conflict
A program receives public criticism. Participants develop a cross-department response and community engagement strategy.

Scenario 3: The New Manager Transition
A staff member is promoted to supervise former peers. Participants address team dynamics and leadership challenges.

One-on-One Mentorship Opportunities

JIMI 2027 is designed to support both group learning and individual reflection. As part of the 2027 program, cohort members will have the opportunity to sign up for a limited number of brief (20–30 minute) 1:1 mentoring sessions with instructors. These sessions are designed to provide individualized guidance and allow participants to explore institution-specific challenges in a focused setting. Instructors will be asked to indicate their willingness and availability to participate in these sessions during their time at the Institute. Instructors are encouraged to make themselves available for a limited number of optional one-on-one mentoring conversations with participants during the Institute.

These conversations may focus on:

  • Institutional challenges
  • Career development
  • Applying Institute concepts to real-world situations

Applicants should indicate their interest and availability to participate in these conversations.

Application Guidelines

Applicants will be asked to:

  • Define clear learning outcomes and session structure
  • Describe how their session incorporates storytelling
  • Explain how content is scalable for institutions of varying sizes
  • Provide real-world examples that will be included
  • Identify any hands-on or interactive components
  • Share relevant technologies, tools, or AI applications addressed in the session




TOPIC AREAS for 2027

While all relevant proposals are welcome, we are particularly interested in sessions that address:

  • Management and leadership (e.g., supervising staff, organizational culture, HR practices)
  • Budgeting and resource management fundamentals
  • Marketing and communications strategy, including storytelling and audience engagement
  • Ethical and practical applications of AI and emerging technologies in museum work 

Applicants may propose a session in the following areas:

Museum Practice

Advancement/Communications
Changing Museum Field Fundraising 
Interpretation
 Marketing 
Exhibition Development Social Media
Collections Management Grants
Curation  


Public Engagement 
 Operations
Visitor Services Facilities
Community Engagement  Disaster Preparedness
Education AI Technology 
Public Programming 


Leadership  Management
Strategic Planning
 Managing Others
Board Management 
 Organizational Culture 
Leadership 
Human Resources

Budgeting






       Instructor Selection Criteria

      Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

      • Relevance and Alignment
        The proposal aligns with JIMI’s goals and reflects current priorities in the museum field, including management, leadership, and cross-functional understanding.
      • Clarity and Organization
        Learning outcomes are clearly defined, and the session is well-structured with a logical flow.
      • Practical Application
        Content is grounded in real-world experience and provides actionable strategies that participants can apply in their own institutions.
      • Scalability
        The session demonstrates relevance across institutions of varying sizes, budgets, and staffing structures, with attention to practical implementation for smaller or resource-limited organizations.
      • Engagement and Interactivity
        Preference will be given to sessions that incorporate hands-on components, group activities, or applied learning approaches.
      • Integration of Storytelling
        The proposal clearly articulates how storytelling informs or enhances the session content.
      • Inclusion and Accessibility
        The session demonstrates a thoughtful and integrated approach to inclusive and accessible practices.
      • Use of Tools and Technology
        The proposal reflects awareness of relevant tools, platforms, or technologies (including AI, where applicable), and addresses their practical and/or ethical use.
      Additional consideration will be given to applicants with:
      • Demonstrated experience/success in the topic areas.
      • Experience delivering skill-building/skill-based training in an educational setting.

      • Museum experience and prior teaching experience preferred, but not required.

      Applications will be reviewed by the JIMI2027 Instructor Selection Committee comprised of SEMC Council members, JIMI alums and museum subject matter experts. 

      View the selection rubric for 2027 Instructors.



      Thank you for your interest in the Jekyll Island Management Institute. 

      All applicants will be notified of outcome by early August 2026. 


      Special Notes

      SEMC will provide a $750 honorarium per JIMI instructor as well as on-island lodging at the host hotel (Hampton Inn & Suites, Jekyll Island) for up to two nights. Transportation arrangements and costs to/from Jekyll Island will be the responsibility of the Instructor. Transportation to and from Jekyll Island from the local airport in Brunswick, GA may be provided for those that choose to fly in. Sessions will be held at Villa Ospo, Jekyll Island. 

      Instructor positions are considered as work for hire. The Southeastern Museums Conference retains the right to record and use images and video of the sessions in any format or medium in perpetuity, but instructors are welcome to include and/or link to them in their portfolios. Instructors are encouraged to share links to finished products with their networks.

      Please direction question about JIMI2027 Instructors to:

      Katie Ericson, JIMI2027 Instructor Selection Committee Chair at katie.l.ericson@emory.edu

      or 

      Zinnia Willits, SEMC Executive Director at zwillits@semcdirect.net