Oct. 18, 2005

Mackinaw City, MI – Mackinac State Historic Parks Director Phil Porter was elected president of the Michigan Museums Association (MMA) at its annual meeting held at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Oct. 6, 2005.  Porter will serve a two-year term as president. The MMA provides a wide variety of services and programs that promote the growth and professionalism of the Michigan museum community and advocates on its behalf.

As director of Mackinac State Historic Parks, Porter helms some of the most prestigious parkland and historic sites in Michigan, including Fort Mackinac, Mackinac Island State Park and Historic Downtown on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, Old Mackinac Point Light Station and Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City. Combined annual attendance for all sites is approximately 1.2 million visitors.

Porter, an authority on the history of the Mackinac region, has authored a variety of books including A Desirable Station, Soldier Life at Fort Mackinac, 1867-1895; View from the Veranda: The History and Architecture of the Summer Cottages on Mackinac Island; Mackinac: An Island Famous in These Regions; and Fudge: Mackinac’s Sweet Souvenir. Porter earned his undergraduate degree from Kenyon College and a graduate degree in history museum studies from the State University of New York, College of Oneonta, Cooperstown Graduate Program. He is on the City of Cheboygan Historic Resources Commission.

The non-profit Michigan Museums Association has over 150 member institutions and is a community of individuals and institutions organized to further the work of the state’s museums. From its headquarters in Lansing, MMA works with its members to help make Michigan’s museums the best in the nation. MMA disseminates timely information about issues that affect museums and museum professionals through its newsletter and Web site (www.michiganmuseums.org). The association sponsors training workshops for museum professionals and volunteers, a mentoring program, a resource center and an annual meeting.

Mackinac State Historic Parks, a family of living history museums and parks in Northern Michigan’s Straits of Mackinac region, is an agency within the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Sites include Fort Mackinac, Historic Downtown and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Historic Mill Creek, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City. The sites are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Visitor information is available on the Web at www.MackinacParks.com and by phone at (231) 436-4100.

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