The Virginia Museum of Natural History board of trustees on May 17 approved a set of administrative policies and operational items, elected officers and passed several resolutions of appreciation for departing trustees while hearing committee reports on the FY2026 budget, accreditation and facilities projects.

Key votes at the meeting included adoption of an updated electronic‑meeting policy to reflect 2024 changes to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), approval of a revised emergency action/COOP plan provided for accreditation review, adoption of a revised code of ethics with minor editorial edits, and approval of a new pricing proposal for admissions and programs. The board also approved the minutes of its Feb. 1 meeting, elected a slate of officers and approved resolutions recognizing trustees rotating off the board.

The electronic‑meeting policy updates incorporate language added to FOIA in the 2024 General Assembly session. Staff summarized two participation scenarios: remote participation where a quorum is physically present and members may participate remotely only if they meet one of the statutory conditions (for example living more than 60 miles away or as caregiver/medical reason), and fully virtual meetings when no quorum is physically present. The policy notes that a participant who is a person with a disability or a caregiver for such a person may count toward the physical quorum even while participating remotely. It also implements the code's limit on fully virtual meetings (no more than 50 percent of meetings per calendar year and not held consecutively) and requires annual recorded board adoption of the electronic‑meeting policy.

Vote highlights and actions

- Approve minutes of the Feb. 1, 2025 meeting — motion approved; no roll call recorded in transcript.

- Adopt updated electronic‑meeting policy (reflecting Virginia FOIA 2024): motion moved from the floor and seconded; trustees conducted a roll‑call vote and the motion passed. Trustees who registered support during the roll call included Sanford, Dr. Carol Nash, Dr. Nelly Clark, Sam Burnett, Dr. Art Evans, Jordan Hoffman, Lauren Hall, Tom Banting and Dr. David Firth (as recorded on the roll call). The board also permitted online members to vote consistent with the statute.

- Adopt revised emergency action/COOP plan: motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Adopt revised code of ethics with edits (language neutralized, and international obligations added under collections): motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote.

- Approve new pricing proposal for admissions and programs (phased implementation tied to fiscal year 2026 and 2027, with deferred increases for already‑booked programs such as summer camps): motion moved and seconded; approved by voice vote. Staff said pricing increases aim to address economic headwinds and support staffing and operations; the FY2026 budget presented to the board did not build assumed pricing increases into base estimates because of market uncertainty.

- Elect slate of officers: nominations and voice votes approved Lisa Carter as vice chair, Will Clements as treasurer, and Lauren Whittipall as secretary; other officers were confirmed by voice vote.

- Approve resolutions of appreciation for departing trustees: the board approved resolutions honoring Ann Burnett, Ford Caughran (name as recorded in packet), Jennifer Burnett and the late Mark Buss; the board voted to present copies to each honoree or their family.

Other business and context

Trustees received committee reports on the FY2026 budget, where staff said the major change year‑over‑year is increased utility costs driven by weather, building age and municipal rates; the packet also noted delegation amendments that provided roughly $73,000 for increased wages for roughly 11 staff positions. Finance and advancement reports showed steady visitation and year‑to‑date endowment growth (packet snapshot: endowment up 13.7% over the prior year's third quarter as of March 31). Staff reported that the education pavilion (Jean Sattos Education Pavilion) will be ready for public use in time for the Dinofest in July and that some detailed design costs for the Douglas Avenue project are still being closed out.

Staff also briefed trustees on the museum’s AAM reaccreditation site visit in March; the visiting team noted no major negatives in the exit interview, and the reaccreditation commission will meet in June. Trustees discussed strategic‑plan work, the need to reconcile long‑term facility investments (Douglas Avenue and Starling Avenue projects) with infrastructure needs and the continuing need for fundraising and legislative advocacy.

Ending: The board completed a full slate of governance votes and directed staff to proceed with policy implementation, accreditation follow‑up and planning work for facilities and collections; several items will return to future committee and board meetings for follow up.