We were lucky to catch up with Beth Payne recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Beth thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

I have had jobs that made me incredibly unhappy – leading to my sometimes being (as one boss stated) “acerbic toward management”. I learned that it is better to face the uncertainty of unemployment for a while (ie a month or so) even when you had a family to support than to continue to work in an environment that made you absolutely miserable for an indeterminate time.

Beth , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a former Registered Dietitian who has retired 3 times – it doesn’t seem to stick well. Now I am a museum director at a 19th-century agricultural museum, a job I fell into after returning from the Peace Corps as a volunteer in West Africa 10 years ago. As a high school student history was certainly not an interest of mine, and I never thought I would be a history museum director. But . .the Museum was floundering, and I am very good at developing policies and procedures, both lacking at the time. When David Dudley left his severely neglected farm to the North Guilford Volunteer Fire Company in 1991, no one envisioned that it would later become one of Guilford’s five historic museums. Unlike the town’s other historic properties, however, The Dudley Farm portrays the agricultural significance of North Guilford. Powered by a volunteer force with no museum background but an ambitious vision (and strong backs!), The Dudley Foundation was established in October of 1994. Despite many early missteps, it has grown to become an important part of Guilford’s historic fabric. Policies and procedures are in place, the Board is responsive, and The Dudley Farm has grown in stature with visitation slowly increasing. In January of 2023 The Dudley Farm Historic District was recognized by being placed on the National Register of Historic Places. This required a great deal of research and the skills of a talented consultant. While I can not take total credit for these accomplishments, the restoration of our buildings, implementation of public programs, and development of engaging exhibits give me a great deal of pride. I have been fortunate to have been a presenter at two national conferences this year which has certainly bolstered the Museum’s reputation.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Ten years ago when I started as a very part-time, director (the Museum’s first) I had to quickly determine who held the power on the Board of Directors. Most of the Board had not known me before this, and the reins of control were held tightly by one individual who certainly suffered from “Founder’s Syndrome”. I remember telling another volunteer/board member, “If she wants to micromanage this place by herself, I’ll let her. I’ll quit!” But I didn’t. I searched out mentors who helped me curry the support of the other Board members, develop the systems needed to improve the organization’s functioning, and initiate the massive clean-out of stored detritus that had been accumulated, stored, and certainly not curated over the previous couple of decades. Who would have imagined that my most rewarding “job” would be one that I began after “retirement?” And that it would result in our museum having such a good regional reputation?

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Since the beginning of my tenure at this museum, I have had several goals in place to assure its success. While not yet met, tremendous progress has been made for all three of them: 1) Policies and procedures in place and followed, fostering the development of an institutional culture which can be sustained. This has evolved over time as new Board members have joined the Foundation and others (some o the Board for 20 years or more!) have left.
2) Develop the governing body to assure that a 20-hour work-week for the Director/Curator is sufficient to get the work required done. With improved organization and cooperation, this is now a very realistic goal.
3) Increase income to the Dudley Foundation such that the Foundation can afford to pay a director/curator an appropriate professional wage/salary. As the public saw the many positive changes that have occurred, private donations and grants have been far more forthcoming.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dudleyfarm.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dudleyfarmmuseum/

Image Credits
From The Dudley Foundation Collection