Dear fellow WCG members,
Welcome to the 56th season of the Washington Conservation Guild! I am excited to be writing to you as the new President, taking over from Jayne Girod Holt. Jayne did an amazing job leading the Guild over the last three years, overseeing extensive growth in WCG committees, and getting us through the unknowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am glad she will be staying on the WCG Board as part of the documents review committee and to help guide me in my new position.
I was first introduced to WCG as an Emerging Professional in NYC, making the trip down to DC specifically to attend a Guild meeting. When I moved to the DMV, I became a member right away and was thankful for the opportunities to participate in the local conservation community. I have served on the Board for two years as a Director and the past three years as Vice President, facing the challenges of both in-person and virtual meetings.
We have a great group of new and returning board members working hard to plan an excellent season! Keara Teeter, our new Vice President, has already lined up multiple speakers and venues for our mix of in-person and virtual meetings. For those of you out of town and who have gotten used to joining us over Zoom, we will continue to post videos on our YouTube channel following the in-person meetings. We are also brainstorming ideas for in-person workshops and virtual webinars to make sure we reach all our members, no matter the distance.
Before COVID, we were regularly holding Community Partnership Projects, where WCG members volunteered to help local cultural institutions with collections care. This gave the institution access to conservation knowledge and establish relationships with local conservators while providing an opportunity for WCG members to share their skills and participate in a fun networking event. Our new Outreach Chair, Amanda Asmus has some great ideas she is pursuing, but is looking for a volunteer to join the WCG Board and help lead this exciting project.
Many of you are likely familiar with, or have benefited from, the Sidney Williston Fund, which has been used to cover the cost of membership for five local interns each season. WCG is proud to be extending this fund to support all emerging professionals by offering a one-year free membership! WCG will be offering additional benefits to those who apply directly to the Willison Fund, which will be advertised in the Fall. Please consider donating to the Williston Fund to sponsor an emerging professional.
You may have noticed some issues with our website. Our current website theme is no longer supported, which is why our dropdown menus are not functioning. The website team, consisting of Arianna Carini Johnston, Karen Wilcox, and Communications Chair Anne Kingery- Schwartz, has been working hard with Vico Rock Media to create a brand-new website that will bring us up to date with modern design, functionality, and accessibility. Keep an eye out for when the website goes live in the Fall.
As always, we want to hear from you! What do you want from WCG? Please contact us with ideas for speakers, venues, workshops, outreach possibilities, or if you want to get involved. Feel free to email me directly or our general mailbox at wcg@washingtonconservationguild.org.
Don’t forget to renew your membership so you don’t miss out on any important WCG news. I look forward to seeing many of you at our meet and greet social at Shake Shack, Union Station on Thursday, September 1 to kick off the season with a delicious milkshake!
Rachel Greenberg
President, Washington Conservation Guild
rgreenberg@washingtonconservationguild.org
