Member Minute with Tracey Beck

Tracey Beck is the Executive Director of the American Swedish Historical Museum.

What skills have been most helpful to you in your career?

Definitely, the ability to listen to different perspectives and consider them before making decisions. Also understanding numbers and financial information. That is something I had a predisposition to understand and enjoy, but I had to learn how to read financial statements and understand them.

What values are you committed to? How have they changed since you started your career?

I am committed to seeing staff develop and grow. When I started my career, I was very focused on the visitor experience and museum’s being both a place of learning and joy/enjoyment/restoration. I am still very committed to that but as my role has changed, I have found what I value and can really have an impact on is the people I work with and how to invest in them as people and professionals. But it also extends to the visitors and members I interact with as well.

What have you read lately?

I am reading a really interesting book I saw referenced in a museum exhibition—Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. It’s written by a Swede, which is part of why it caught my attention, but I love the analytics and optimism of this book. I’m also reading the book of Hebrews. It is really speaking to me right now.

 Why did you join the Museum Council?

When I started working in Philly 18 years ago I was so excited to join such a large and diverse community of museums. The Museum Council is a wonderful way to get to know people in the field, share experiences, and learn about organizations.

Why and in what ways have you continued to be part of the Museum Council community?

I take part in some of the learning opportunities, encourage my staff to volunteer for Council leadership, and I have been happy to have our museum host a few of the mixer events which are ALWAYS a LOT of fun!

What have you learned that you can share with aspiring/emerging museum professionals?

I have learned to never say never when it comes to what I might do in the future as part of my career development. I thought I would never want to be a fundraiser, but when I needed to make a job transition and I started to look at Executive Director jobs I had to reconsider that. It turns out that I truly enjoy that part of my current position and that is something that I really hadn’t predicted. One thing I love about working in museums is the incredible variety in my daily work (especially at a small museum). It keeps me engaged and interested!

What are you excited about right now?

I am excited to be in the planning stages for the museum’s 100th anniversary in 2026!