OMA Award Spotlight - Gregory Edmonds
Recognizing excellence in Ohio museums during Arts and Humanities Month
To help celebrate October as Arts and Humanities Month, and to kick-off the call for nominations for this year's OMA awards, we'll be highlighting our 2022 OMA Award of Achievement winners throughout the month with our OMA Award Spotlight. We are featuring these Award Winner Spotlights during Arts and Humanities Month to help champion the amazing projects, programs and professionals that make Ohio's museum community strong.
The Awards of Achievement are presented to reflect the outstanding quality and caliber of work by Ohio museums and their professionals in two categories: Institutional Achievement Awards and Individual Achievement Awards.
Nominations for these awards are incredibly detailed. This in-depth process helps to illustrate how these institutions and individuals have gone “above and beyond” the normal call of duty to support their institution, serve their public and advance the cause of the museum community.
Each year, the review panel is overwhelmed by the outstanding projects, innovative programming and dedication to our field as exhibited in each of the institutional and individual nominations. Congratulations again to each of our 2022 award winners!
Today, we'll be featuring our winner for the 2022 award for Betty Bryan Volunteer of the Year.
Gregory Edmonds - National Veterans Memorial and Museum
Gregory Edmond has had a profound impact on the museum community and the Veteran community from the time he began volunteering at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum four years ago. A community liaison who advocates for education about the Tuskegee Airmen, Veterans, and urban youth, Gregory is always thinking about ways he can involve people in service to their community His passion for sharing his knowledge and providing the community with resources to further theirs, is his specialty.
He has worked to not only ensure that everyone feels included in the museum space, but his commitment and dedication to sharing historical stories and highlighting underrepresented audiences aligns with exactly who we want to be in the museum field. He goes above and beyond to uphold museum ethics and strives to perfect his interpretive style as he utilizes his skills to serve as a leader in the field.
Gregory’s involvement with the Veteran community began in the 1970s when he first learned about the Tuskegee Airmen. Since then, Gregory has been an integral player in preserving the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and sharing their legacy, serving as a member and most recently the president of the Tuskegee Airman Ohio Memorial chapter for 19 years. As a museum Docent, he leads tours highlighting the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen, along with the stories of other veterans throughout our history.
Lt. Col, Andrew Pierce of the United States Air Force wrote, “I have experienced Mr. Edmond’s dedication to the service of others, and selfless sacrifice of offering his talents. Mr. Edmond’s steadfast values of service, sacrifice, excellence, and honor are all characteristics that align with the U.S. Service Veteran. It is with the admiration of this group that Mr. Edmonds seeks to keep their stories alive through his service within the community.”
Do you know a museum volunteer that embodies the mission of their museum and goes "above and beyond" to serve their organization and community? Be sure to nominate them for the 2023 award for Betty Bryan Volunteer of the Year! Learn more here.