Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History shall manage, control, maintain, and operate the Museum; appoint the Director of the Museum and prescribe his duties; and prescribe rules and regulations for the operation of the Museum.

Upcoming Meeting Notices

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings will take place at the Virginia Museum of Natural History located at 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, Virginia, 24112. Additional notices will be posted as additional meetings are announced. For questions or for more information, please contact Jennifer Whitlow, Administrative Coordinator, at jennifer.whitlow@vmnh.virginia.gov.

Waynesboro Advocacy Committee Meeting
Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 1 p.m.
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Waynesboro Advocacy Committee will hold a meeting at the Waynesboro Office of Economic Development on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. This meeting will be streamed live on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.

Board of Trustees Executive Committee Meeting 
Friday, May 15, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Executive Committee will hold a meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.     

Board of Trustees Facilities Committee Meeting
Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.
Agenda
The Board of Trustees Facilities Committee will hold a meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting. 

Research and Collections Committee Meeting
Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Agenda
The Board of Trustees Research and Collections Committee will hold a meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.     

Education and Public Programs Committee Meeting
Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Agenda
The Board of Trustees Education and Public Programs Committee will hold a meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 9 a.m. This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.     

Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Meeting
Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.
Agenda
The Board of Trustees of the Virginia Museum of Natural History will hold a meeting at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 10 a.m.  This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.  
                                                                                                              

Previous Meeting Notices

Notices of previously held meetings can be found on the Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Previous Meeting Notices webpage.

Meeting Minutes

Minutes from previous meetings can be found on the Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes webpage.

Virtual Meeting Archive

Meetings that were streamed live on YouTube have been archived for the public to access. The archived videos can be found on the VMNH Meetings YouTube Page.

Composition

The Board will consist of fifteen members appointed by the Governor. Two of the members appointed to the Board shall be members of the Virginia Academy of Science. The appointments shall be subject to confirmation by the General Assembly if in session and, if not, then at its next succeeding session.

Chair
Dr. Melany R. Clark, Ridgeway

Vice-Chair
Lisa L. Carter, Urbanna

Treasurer
Will Clements, Carson

Secretary
Lauren B. Woodson Hall, Lynchburg                                                                                                  

Trustees
Dr. Thomas R. Benzing, Waynesboro
Sarah Bowman, Callaway
Richard Bratcher, Waynesboro
Dr. Arthur V. Evans, Richmond
Dr. David Furth, Alexandria
Emma Ito, Richmond
Cathleen Hincker Manion, Hayes
Katherine McGuire, Falls Church
Dr. Carole Nash, Harrisonburg
Nathan Sanford, Roanoke
Dr. Melinda VanDevelder, Richmond