Museum Finance

Brian Alexander is Visiting Professor of Museum Administration and Director of the Institute for Cultural Entrepreneurship at the State University of New York’s Cooperstown Graduate Program. He teaches classes in museum administration, governance, finance, project management, strategic planning, fundraising, cultural entrepreneurship and professional development. Alexander has 38 years of experience working in the museum field and has been a member of the faculty at Cooperstown since 2013. Prior to coming to the Cooperstown Graduate Program he served as President & CEO of the National World War I Museum; President & CEO of the Historic Annapolis Foundation; Executive-Vice President & Director of the Shelburne Museum; Director of the State Museum of North Dakota; Historic Site Superintendent for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Assistant Superintendent for the Historic Sites Program of Fairfax County, Virginia. Alexander has served on numerous AAM Accreditation Visiting Committees, as a faculty member for the Seminar for Historical Administration and as a consultant for the AAM Museum Assessment Programs. He has been a museum consultant, has spoken widely at museum association meetings, was a board member of the National Council of the American Association for State & Local History and a Grants Reviewer/Panelist for IMLS, NEH and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Alexander received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Illinois, and a certificate in Museum Management from the University of Colorado. His articles “Collections & Controversy” (History News) and “Asset Management: Survival of the Financially Fittest “(American Federation of the Arts) discuss deaccessioning and museum finance.