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.                                

Board of Trustees Executive Committee Meeting 
Friday, August 14, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Executive Committee will hold a meeting on Friday, August 4, 2026, at 3:30 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in the Executive Director's Conference Room 236.  This meeting will be in-person only with no remote participation option.  No public comments will be taken at this meeting.   

Board of Trustees Facilities Committee Meeting
Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 8:30 a.m.
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Facilities Committee will hold a meeting on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in the Executive Director's Conference Room 236.  This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.   

Board of Trustees Research and Collections Committee Meeting 
Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.
Agenda Part 1             Agenda Part 2
Agenda Part 3             Agenda Part 4

The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Research and Collections Committee will hold a meeting on Saturday, August 15, at 9:00 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in the Distance Learning Classroom B159. This meeting will be live streamed on the VMNH Meetings YouTube channel. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.                                

Board of Trustees Education and Public Programs Committee Meeting
Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. 
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees Education and Public Programs Committee will hold a meeting on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in the Claude Moore Classroom B151. This meeting will be in-person only with no remote participation option. No public comment will be taken at this meeting. 

Board of Trustees Quarterly Meeting
Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Agenda
The Virginia Museum of Natural History Board of Trustees will hold their quarterly meeting on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in the Distance Learning Classroom B159. This meeting will be live steamed on the VMNH 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
Lauren W. Hall, Lynchburg

Treasurer
Will Clements, Carson

Secretary
Sarah Bowman, Callaway                                                                                                  

Trustees

Dr. John Almarode, Waynesboro
Dr. Thomas R. Benzing, Waynesboro
Richard Bratcher, Waynesboro
Dr. David Furth, Alexandria
Cathleen Hincker Manion, Hayes
Dr. Christine May, Staunton
Katherine McGuire, Falls Church
Dr. Carole Nash, Harrisonburg
Nathan Sanford, Roanoke
Dr. Melinda VanDevelder, Richmond