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Everyone is a Leader: A Hands-On Workshop for Disruption

Thursday, October 30, 2025
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (EDT)

Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC)

428 North Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23221
United States

Event Details

Workshop Overview

Museums tell our stories, document our histories, and help us imagine new futures—but transformation doesn’t happen by chance. It takes courage, creativity, and the willingness to disrupt the systems that no longer serve us. It also takes resilience, the ability to stay grounded in mission and values while navigating uncertainty, conflict, and change. This dynamic, hands-on workshop is designed for museum professionals at all levels who are ready to challenge entrenched norms and drive bold, values-driven change in their institutions and communities. Through an immersive and participatory experience, participants will explore disruption strategies that center equity, innovation, resilience, and radical collaboration. Led by institutional disruptor Hillary Spencer and cultural strategist Jennifer Foley, this session equips participants with tools for disruption, design thinking frameworks, and real-world case studies to ignite action. You’ll leave with new mindsets, practical tools, and personalized strategies to rethink what’s possible and the resilience to keep building, even when it gets hard.

For More Information:

Melissa Maxwell
Melissa Maxwell
Assistant Director, Membership and Communications Virginia Association of Museums (804)358-3170

Workshop Schedule: 

1pm - 1:30pm - Welcome & Ice Breaker

1:30pm - 2:00pm - Disruption in Action

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Learning from the Frontlines

3:00pm - 3:20pm - Break (Light Snacks provided)

3:20pm - 4:20pm - From Disruption to Design

4:20pm - 5:00pm - Final Reflections & Next Steps