As a member of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society, you have the privilege to vote for colleagues who will serve as your representatives on the MAPS Board. MAPS encourages your participation in this key activity that has a lasting impact on our organization.
MAPS members – check your inbox in January for your online voting invitation. Voting will be open from January 1st through January 31st 2023. We thank you for your participation in this election and in MAPS overall.
Election information from MAPS By-Laws
- Officers shall be elected on a mail-in or electronic ballot by the membership in January.
- Terms of office shall be for two years.
- The President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be elected in odd-numbered years, and the Board Members elected in even numbered years.
- Officers will assume their positions at the conclusion of the annual business meeting.
Review the candidates’ bios for the positions of President-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer for MAPS 2023 Officer Elections in the table below.
President-Elect |
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Candidate | Candidate Statement |
 | Tim CollinsI am honored to again be nominated for President-Elect of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society. I have been your Web Committee Chair since 2010, and am currently considering a new position with the Buffalo Museum of Science, to continue contributions to the museum’s Zygmunt Planetarium and Kellogg Observatory. I am also serving as a member of the Buffalo Eclipse Consortium in preparation for the 2024 eclipse, and also working closely with our local amateur astronomy group, the Buffalo Astronomical Association where I have been serving as a panelist for our Looking Up! Facebook events since 2020.I first began my work the planetarium as a college freshman in 1987 at the Whitworth Ferguson Planetarium at Buffalo State. In that 35 years, I have also served as a Community Education Instructor for the Williamsville Space Lab Planetarium as well as lent my voice to my community through our local media. I attended my first MAPS conference in 1992 at the Carnegie Science Center/Buhl Planetarium in Pittsburgh, where I was introduced to a brand new world of fellow educators and great friends. I left the organization during my graduate years, but returned in 2010 missing the MAPS and IPS community I loved so much. If chosen as President-Elect, I would bring my enthusiasm and love of astronomy education to the already incredible Executive Board we have had for so long. I aspire to learn and grow, and never plan to stop. Learning is something we should all do continuously, and teaching is what we do when we love what we have learned so much that we become passionate about sharing it with others. Additionally, I had the pleasure of attending a GLPA conference hosted in our city of Buffalo this past October. While there, I saw something that as President I would like to try to help bring to MAPS: a very strong youth movement. GLPA has a high concentration of young professionals who have the same passion we all had in our younger years, and it is my intention to foster that into our regional membership, and contacting as many of the institutions in our region as possible that have left or do not know of us. In order to continue our success, we must also have succession. I will make it my primary focus to continue the interest of our youth to ensure another generation of our organization, while maintaining the path carved out by those before me, and to those after. We have done so much already that I know whomever you decide to elect, we will grow stronger together. Thank you very much for your time. |
 | Anthony (Tony) KilgoreHello! My name is Tony Kilgore, Director of the Irene V. Hylton Planetarium in Woodbridge Virginia, and I am honored to be nominated for the office of President-Elect of the Middle Atlantic Planetarium Society - MAPS.A little bit about me, I first fell in love with planetariums as a high school senior taking astronomy at Boardman High School in Boardman, Ohio. Mr. Dan Hicklin would amaze us with his out of this world sky talks and demonstrations using an old Spitz A3P. I was able to continue my love of astronomy at Youngstown State University seeing the night sky through Professor Young’s eyes at the Ward Beecher Planetarium. Upon graduation, I moved to Northern Virginia to begin my career as a high school Astronomy/Earth science teacher. In the summer of 2008, I was approached by the Supervisor of Science for the Prince William County Public Schools and asked to interview for the position of Planetarium Director. I guess you could say the rest is history because I have been holding that position for the past 15 years. Throughout my tenure as Director, I have obtained grants and have seen the planetarium through a $250,000 projection system renovation and just recently a $2,000,000 complete facility renovation. The Irene V. Hylton Planetarium is near and dear to my heart as I have made countless friends and connections throughout my service. I even met my wife at the Hylton Planetarium when she brought her second-grade class to visit me for a field trip. Continuing to build my professional knowledge base, I attended my first MAPS conference in the spring of 2009 at the H.B. Owens Science Center and I’ve been hooked ever since. If elected as your MAPS President-Elect, I will spend the first two years of my term learning all of the required duties and responsibilities of the president to ensure I am well prepared for the next phase of office. I will work in conjunction with the current MAPS president, Officers, Board, and members to create a member directory and more accessible website experience to help connect the planetarium directors, vendors and patrons of the Mid Atlantic to one another. I truly believe the answer is in the room and if we can get these bright and innovative minds together (virtually, in person, and in between) we can build a better planetarium experience across all our facilities. |
 | Cara MuscioHi, I’m Cara Muscio, the Associate Director at the Robert J. Novins Planetarium.I had my first Planetarium experience as a shy 6-year-old. All I remember is a booming voice in the dark, and when they introduced Pluto, a picture of the Disney cartoon dog appeared. This tiny, memorable moment laid the groundwork for my philosophy of science education – meet folks where they are, and connect through our shared stories. Twenty-five years later, I have co-created a Nationally award-winning grassroots shellfish restoration program, been the college professor helping students find wonder in the natural world, and helped the Novins Planetarium reestablish itself as an engaging, trusted partner in our community. I have charted a winding course that spans the perspectives of the microscopic to the infinite, and from environmental field research to informal space education. My background in earth and environmental sciences, my path as a yoga instructor and meditation teacher, and my interest in music, audiovisual technology, and performance have all converged in a career I can’t imagine loving more. I am honored to have been nominated for the position of President-Elect, and am excited for the opportunity to bring my unique perspective and skills to the Executive Board and the membership of MAPS. I look forward to helping us all improve science literacy in our communities, work more collaboratively and draw on each other’s experience, and stay relevant and successful in our changing world. Most importantly I hope to help all of us and those we serve to Keep Lookin’ up! |
Secretary | |
Candidate | Candidate Statement |
 | Amie GallagherI remember my first trip to a planetarium. I was about eight years old. My mother took my sister and I to the Newark Museum. All I remember from that visit is that it was dark. Fast forward to senior year of high school, and my church youth group went to the Hayden Planetarium in New York to see Laser Beatles. I had no idea at the time that soon, I would work in both of these facilities.After college, I got a part-time job at the Newark Museum’s planetarium. Part of the job included taking out Starlab to do shows. That was a great way to learn all the highways not right next to my house! From Newark, I got an internship at the Hayden Planetarium, which turned into eight years of education and production work, teaching thousands of visitors each week about the sky. While the Hayden was undergoing renovations, I spent my “free” time getting a Masters in Elementary Education. I left the Hayden and taught 5th grade in New Jersey for a year. I soon realized that my true passion was informal education, not being in a classroom every day. I was lucky enough to have a job come available at Raritan Valley Community College Planetarium just then. I’ve been at RVCC for the past 19 years. I’ve coordinated Project ASTRO and Family ASTRO, led MANY teacher workshops through the years, and am now Director of the Planetarium. I’ve been a member of MAPS since 1993, and Secretary of our organization for the past six years. I was excited to become a MAPS Fellow in 2016. I enjoy attending MAPS conferences to meet up with friends and colleagues. I always walk away from these gatherings with new information and ideas that I can incorporate into my planetarium immediately. Being part of the Executive Committee has allowed me to be part of the inner workings of MAPS. I love being able to help bring us forward as an organization. Our global society is trying to find a new sense of balance. Our professional field is taking the opportunity to rethink our means of presentations. Temporary closures of our buildings forced us to become creative in how we continued to reach our audiences. Now that most of us have fully reopened, are we back to business as usual or do we incorporate some of the lessons we've learned over the past few years? I found that the virtual environments we shifted to expanded our professional and educational horizons. I look forward to working with MAPS members near and far, as well as the Executive Committee, to keep lines of communication open and moving. We need to be in touch with each other more than once a year at conferences. After all, we are a community. |
Treasurer | |
Candidate | Candidate Statement |
 | Mike FrancisI'm Mike Francis and I've been bringing Astronomy to organizations nationally for over 45 years. After ten years at the Charles Hayden Planetarium, I started my own program with Mike Francis Stars Science Theater. Combining science and theatre, I introduce audiences to the wonders of our Universe. Appearances include the Space Telescope Science Institute and the National Air and Space Museum. I'm a professional actor and a member of the International Planetarium Society, the Mid Atlantic Planetarium Society and SoloTogether. I'm currently serving as your treasurer and would like your support for another term.https://Mike-Francis.com |