The Coffey Award is presented to a museum professional who demonstrates superior professional accomplishment; a record of service to the profession on state, regional, national, and/or international levels; and a proven record of service to the community in which the museum is located.

Professor Sorin has been active in the museum field for 35 years, having served as Director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program for the past 14 years. She holds a master’s in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

Gretchen Sorin has been a consultant to more than 200 museums and historical organizations as a scholar, exhibit curator, and education and interpretive program planner and developer. Some of her major exhibitions include the national touring exhibit "Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans and Identity in American Art," which is on display at the New York State Museum; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service’s "In the Spirit of Martin: The Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."; "Wilderness Cure: Tuberculosis and the Adirondacks" at the Adirondack Museum; "Bridges and Boundaries: African Americans and American Jews" at the Jewish Museum; and "Freedoms’ Journals" for the New York Public Library.

Professor Sorin’s publications include the books Touring Historic Harlem: Four Walks in Northern Manhattan with Andrew Dolkart and In the Spirit of Martin: The Living Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.