Last week Susanna Shadbolt, Director of Aratoi, received the exciting news that she has been accepted by the Museum Leadership Institute at Claremont Graduate University into the 2020 Executive Education Program for Museum Leaders.

From May 4-16 she will participate online which will mean some very early starts to her day, and from June 5-20, Susanna will be at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.

The course will focus on critical issues in the field such as audience engagement and development, diversity and inclusion, team management, strategy, fundraising and leadership. It is supported by the Getty Foundation.

There is intense competition to be accepted into the MLI Museum Leadership Programme and participants, who come from all over the world, are rigorously evaluated. It is a mark of Susanna’s leadership potential that she was successful in her application, and it is also notable that MLI offered her a scholarship for 90% of the fees which has made it possible for her to attend.

"I am absolutely stunned to be selected to this prestigious programme and even more so to receive a scholarship to attend," said Susanna Shadbolt. "I've known about this programme for some years now and know it is very competitive and attracts applications from all over the world. It's the right time in my career to be doing this and I am really excited to be selected. It is a great opportunity to be given the time away from day-to-day running of the museum to contemplate, receive mentoring and work on my museum leadership skills."

The Aratoi Regional Trust Board and staff are delighted to congratulate Susanna on her success and look forward to hearing about her experience at Claremont.

For more information:

Barbara Roydhouse, Chair, Aratoi Regional Trust

chair@aratoi.co.nz