About VSA
VSA's members are a diverse and dynamic group of individuals including evaluators, educators, exhibit developers, designers, marketing professionals, planners, academics, and directors who share a passion for improving the quality of visitor experiences. VSA also boasts an outstanding international membership from twenty different countries.
Our Vision
The Visitor Studies Association (VSA) envisions a world where citizens embrace lifelong learning and where learning in informal settings benefits individuals, communities and society at large. VSA views the role of informal learning organizations as facilitators of these experiences and assumes that a respect for and understanding of visitors is essential.
Our Mission
VSA is an international network of professionals committed to understanding and enhancing visitor experience in informal learning settings through research, evaluation, and dialogue.
Our History
VSA was founded in 1988 by a small group of research and evaluation practitioners interested in creating a forum for the exchange of information in the field of visitor studies and evaluation. In large part through their efforts visitor studies are now an increasingly accepted part of museum practice. Today, VSA has evolved into a dynamic professional organization. We are focused on meeting the growing demand for the tools and inspiration to better understand visitors, as well as best-practice strategies for how to attract, educate and serve them.
Contact Us
Erik Ledbetter
Executive Director
PO Box 10668
Rockville, MD 20849-0668
(301) 762-1450 Phone
(301) 637-3312 Fax
Board of Directors
Visitor Studies Association would not be possible without the exceptional support of its Board of Directors.
Executive Committee
- President - Kirsten Ellenbogen, Science Museum of Minnesota
- President-elect - Dale McCreedy,
Franklin Institute - Vice President, Organizational Development -
Rita Deedrick, COSI Columbus - Vice President, Outreach Development - Matt Sikora, Detroit Institute of Arts
- Vice President, Professional Development -
Kris Morrissey, University of Washington Museology Graduate Program - Treasurer - Julie I. Johnson, Science Museum of Minnesota
- Secretary - Carey Tisdal, Tisdal Consulting
- Past President - Kathleen McLean, Independent Exhibitions
Board Members
- Rick Bonney, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Dorothy Chen-Courtin,
Marketing & Management Associates for Non-Profits
(Chair, Marketing & PR Resource Group) - Cecilia Garibay, Garibay Group, Research & Evaluation
(Chair, Board Development Committee) - Karen Graham, Canadian Museum of Civilization
- Leslie Hartog, Hartog Consulting Group
(Chair, Membership Committee) - Joe E. Heimlich, Ohio State University Extension@COSI
- Elisa Israel, Saint Louis Science Center
- Cheryl Kessler, Institute for Learning Innovation
(Chair, Professional Development Committee) - Karen Knutson, UPCLOSE
(Chair, Publications Committee) - Randi Korn, Randi Korn & Associates
- Ellen McCallie, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
- Caren Oberg, Oberg Research
(Co-Chair, Resource Development Committee) - Saul Rockman, Rockman et al
- Jessica Sickler, Institute for Learning Innovation
(Chair, Conference Planning Committee) - Robert "Mac" West, Informal Learning Experiences
(Co-Chair, Resource Development Committee)