OMA Introduces Second Cohort of “Empowering Museum Voices” Fellowship Program

The Ohio Museums Association has announced the participants of their second cohort of the Empowering Museum Voices Fellowship Program, which started in January of 2026 and will continue through December 31, 2026.

 This fellowship, which had its inaugural year in 2024, connects OMA with Fellows from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the museum field due to historic exclusion. This includes, but is not limited to, the BIPOC community, people with disabilities, Appalachian and rural communities, lower income communities, LGBTQ+ communities, and justice-impacted citizens. This year’s fellowship cohort includes five museum professionals.

“The Ohio Museums Association is excited to welcome our five new Empowering Museum Voices Fellows for the second cohort year, and continue to build this fellowship into the future,” said Johnna McEntee, Executive Director of OMA. “While the fellowship connects participants with OMA’s professional development resources, its true strength lies in creating space for Fellows to share their perspectives and lived experiences. Their insights help us better understand how we can more thoughtfully engage with and support museums and communities across Ohio—and we’re eager to learn from the voices they bring to the table.”

The program will provide the Fellows with a year’s worth of OMA webinars, travel expenses and registration to the OMA annual conference in 2026 (April 18-20, Columbus, Ohio), four years of OMA membership for each fellow, and compensation for program planning the Fellows will contribute during the 2026 year and beyond.

“As we enter the program’s second cohort year, we’re proud to continue investing in this fellowship as a way to elevate diverse voices and perspectives within Ohio’s museum field. By amplifying these experiences, we can better reflect the communities museums serve and help foster a more inclusive and resilient future for museum leadership across the state,” McEntee said.

The five Fellows of the 2026 year of the Ohio Museums Association’s Empowering Museum Voices Fellowship are:

Megan Alves, Museum Lecturer and Curatorial Research Fellow at The Gund, Kenyon College





Chrislynn Brownlee, Art Bridges Fellow at the Cincinnati Art Museum





Justun Dorsey, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum





Benjamin Grothaus, Collections Assistant at the American Sign Museum





Rosie Li, Community Engagement Intern at Urban Art Space, and Museum Collections Intern at the Museum of Classical Archaeology, The Ohio State University

“The museum professionals in this year’s cohort each have a wonderful spark and energy.  I’m excited to work with them as part of this program and can’t wait to see how they impact the museum field beyond their OMA fellowship,” said Christie Weininger, President of the OMA Board of Trustees and Executive Director at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museums.   

Founded in 1976 by members of the Ohio's museum community, the Ohio Museums Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. OMA works with a variety of museums, museum professionals and providers of museum services to strengthen the state's museums, foster excellence in the field and support museums in Ohio. The Ohio Museums Association connects, educates, empowers and advocates for the Ohio Museum community.

The Ohio Museums Association serves the state’s arboretums, aquariums, anthropology museums, art museums, art center and galleries, botanical gardens, ethnic museums, general museums, heritage centers, history museums, historic houses, historic parks and sites, historical societies, natural history museums, nature centers, planetariums, science and technology centers, youth and children's museums and zoos.

For more information on the Ohio Museums Association, please contact 614.297.2375 or visit www.ohiomuseums.org.