VVAC Receives the Museum Association of Arizona’s 2025-2026 Institutional Award for Excellence
The Verde Valley Archaeology Center and Museum received the 2025-2026 Institutional Award for Excellence from the Museum Association of Arizona (MAA) and Ken Zoll, VVAC’s Director Emeritus, received the 2025-2026 Roger Lidman Distinguished Service Award.
Founded in 1982, the Museum Association of Arizona is a non-profit organization that supports Arizona’s museum community through advocacy, professional development, and creating networking opportunities.
Each year, MAA awards four different professional recognition awards to museums and individuals across the state. On April 27th, VVAC’s Executive Director, Monica Buckle, and Director Emeritus, Ken Zoll, attended MAA’s state-wide conference in Fountain Hills to accept their respective awards.
Photo courtesy of Nancy Zoll
VVAC is one of 350 museums that exist in Arizona. The Institutional Award for Excellence is given to museums that have exhibited leadership qualities by achieving excellence in their work in the areas of research, education, collection, preservation, and interpretation.
“It's astounding VVAC received this marvelous merit due to the fact that there are so many helping hands involved with this achievement,” Buckle says. “The colossal contributions the staff, volunteers, board of directors, our members, friends of the museum, and the Verde Valley community have made to bolster VVAC is nothing short of awe-inspiring.”
Ken Zoll, VVAC’s Director Emeritus, was a recipient of the 2025-2026 Roger Lidman Distinguished Service Award. This prestigious award is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to a museum, the museum profession, the local community, the state of Arizona, MAA, or other professional organizations, while recognizing a long career or recent milestone.
“This came as a big surprise,” Zoll says. “It is very much appreciated, but nothing is done in a vacuum. Anything that I was able to accomplish only came with a great deal of support and effort by many members, for whom I am exceedingly grateful.”
“It's wonderful that Ken, my predecessor, received this distinction,” Buckle says. “I was elated for Ken and for his acknowledgement. He founded VVAC 16 years ago and inspired not just myself, but a legion of talented people and volunteers by promoting Ancestral Hopi culture, with his work that he has done as the first modern-day person to study, research, document, and publish findings on The Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site, and all of his contributions to the heritage sites of the Verde Valley. Not only does Ken have a deep appreciation for Ancestral Hopi culture, heritage sites, and the land itself, he is prominent in the field of astronomy, cosmology, and meteoritics. Ken has published books about Harvey H. Nininger, America's most famous meteorite man, and is very involved in different astronomical circles.”
Besides preservation, conservation, and education, fundraising is at the core of VVAC as a privately funded, non-profit institution.
“This achievement is made possible by our immensely talented staff, the most generous and dedicated volunteers, terrific board members, our amazing members and friends of the museum, and, of course, visitors,” Buckle says. “VVAC is not government funded, the museum is privately funded and solely relies on the generosity of our donors, members, and visitors. A great deal of my work takes place behind-the-scenes ensuring VVAC can continue an unparalleled trajectory and serve as a community anchor for Camp Verde and the Verde Valley.”
To continue to support the success of VVAC, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at this link:
