Maggie Appleton, the CEO of the Royal Air Force Museum in London, has been named the new president of the Museums Association. With over twenty-five years of experience in the museum sector, Appleton will start her new position on April 1. She will succeed David Fleming.

Commenting on the appointment, Fleming said, “It is vital that the MA not only continues to help ensure that it represents the interests of its membership, but that museums continue to modernize, and that the world takes museums seriously.” He added, “It is a natural next step to elect a modernizer like Maggie Appleton to the job of president of the MA.”

Appleton started her career at the Royal Armories Museum in Leeds, England, after which she pursued positions as a social history curator and an arts administrator. She served as CEO of the Stevenage Museum and Luton Culture, and as director of the museums for the Luton Borough Council before moving to her current role as head of the Royal Air Force Museum in January 2015. That same year, the Museums Association appointed her vice president. In recogniton of her contributions to England’s cultural heritage, Appleton was designated as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2012.

“I’m absolutely delighted to be elected as MA president,” Appleton said in a statement. “We continue to face unprecedented challenges and it’s more important than ever that the MA works with our partners to lead, listen, and advocate with clarity, bravery and positivity.”