Kudos Affiliates! August/September 2025 Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) and the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) were each awarded $23,850 in operating support from the City of Dubuque Arts and Cultural Affairs grant program. The Dubuque Museum of Art received an additional $8,000 through the Special Projects Grant Program. 

Celebrating the power of identity and belonging, the Nissan Foundation continued its commitment to community and cultural connection with grants to nonprofits across the United States this year including the following Affiliates: 

  • Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA) – to support 2025-2026 Family Festivals. 
  • Museum of Us (San Diego, CA) – to fund The Museum of Us: A Platform for the Diverse Voices of San Diego 
  • Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI) – to support Arab American Narratives: Education and Public Engagement 

The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation announced it has awarded the Dubuque Museum of Art (Dubuque, IA) and the Anchorage Museum (Anchorage, AK) $75,000 each as part of the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative, supporting the advancement of energy efficiency and clean energy projects. With the support, the Dubuque Museum of Art will install a heat recovery chiller on its new campus that will reduce the need for electrical power by 30% and natural gas consumption by 49% annually. The building will also include high performance and energy efficiency mechanical, and lighting systems and automated controls, systems commissioning, and photovoltaic readiness. The Anchorage Museum will install a rooftop solar array—its first major step toward net-zero operations by 2050. The system will reduce reliance on Anchorage’s natural gas grid, offset up to 131 metric tons of Scope 2 emissions annually, and generate an estimated $1.5 million in long-term energy savings. 

The Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP), a coalition of aquariums and zoos for aquatic conservation, received a two-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program to develop and implement a comprehensive digital and in-person public engagement campaign. This grant will provide seven member aquariums of ACP—including the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium (Dubuque, IA), with a $20,000 sub-award. These funds will be used to create and install educational and operational signage that highlights efforts to reduce plastic use and promote reusable systems. 

Engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell announced Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) will receive $250,000 to enhance their Youth Exploring Science program, which supports students from underserved or traditionally underrepresented communities in STEM throughout their high school years, helping them build the knowledge and experience needed for in-demand STEM jobs. 

The Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded Conner Prairie Museum (Fishers, IN) $30,000 for the development of new nature programming for children and families as well as trail maintenance. 

The Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL) has received a $1 million gift from the S&C Electric Company Fund to enhance its youth engagement programs in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. The funding will help Adler deepen its long-running commitment to providing hands-on, immersive learning experiences for young people from across the city. The Adler’s summer internships place Chicago teens in professional roles across the museum, learning professional communication and teamwork skills and gaining experience in space visualization and computer science. 

The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity awarded Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Center (Portage, MI) an $819,200 grant to support organizational needs. 

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (Boulder, CO) was awarded a $23.5 million contract to advance the Next-Generation Navy Environmental Prediction System Utilizing a Nonhydrostatic Engine, or NEPTUNE. The contract tasks UCAR with research and development to refine NEPTUNE, a system designed to deliver unparalleled weather forecasts for military operations. Unlike traditional weather models, NEPTUNE is built around a spectral element solver for the compressible, non-hydrostatic, deep-atmosphere equations of motion. 

LEADERSHIP

Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) announced Drew Oberjuerge as the new Executive Director. In this role, she will collaborate with foundation trustees, staff, and stakeholders to chart a new period of excellence and accessibility for the organization that stewards the historic residence and woodshop of Sam Maloof. 

Dr. Dina Bennett, Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum (Kansas City, MO), announced she will be stepping down from her role at the end of July. The Board of Directors will launch a national search for someone who can guide the museum through its next stage of growth and innovation. 

Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum has named retired naval aviator and former Blue Angels pilot John P. Hiltz as its first Chief Executive Officer. With over two decades of military experience and a passion for aviation history, Hiltz will lead the museum’s strategic growth, educational programs, and community engagement. 

Kudos Affiliates! Summer 2025 Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING 

Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) was awarded a $4,000 grant from Humanities Nebraska to help support an exhibit of Aksarben gowns. 

Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN)) was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. The funding will redefine how visitors view and use the Museum Experience Center through immersive and interactive experiences. The project includes Wellspring, which combines artwork and a playscape; two permanent galleries; and a changing gallery. 

Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL) received a $200,000 digital accelerator grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, to complete a redesign and overhaul of the museum’s website. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION 

Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) received the Mayor’s Award for its sustainability features, including grounds’ pollinator areas, composting program, water reuse system, recycling efforts and more. Oklahoma City Beautiful Distinguished Service Awards recognize businesses, organizations and individuals who have helped improve the beauty and environmental health of Oklahoma City.   

 The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) has been granted accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, published by the South Dakota State Historical Society (Pierre, SD), has won the prestigious 2025 Spur Award for Best Western Children’s Picture Book, presented by the Western Writers of America. The Western Writers of America annually presents the Spur Awards to recognize distinguished writing about the American West. Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, written by Laura Beth Dean and illustrated by Jeanne Bowman, tells the true story of Georgia Hoyt Jipp and the courageous missions she flew to deliver aid during the historic winter storms of 1949. 

LEADERSHIP 

Ellen Noël Art Museum (Odessa, TX) named Nicole Herden as its new Executive Director. Herden is an accomplished museum executive with over 20 years of experience in leadership, curatorial practice, and institutional transformation. 

Kudos Affiliates! Spring 2025 Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING 

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver, CO) received a $20 million gift from the Sturm Family Foundation to launch a new East Wing Project to rejuvenate their historic theater, lobby and plaza. 

Nebraska Tourism awarded a $10,710 grant to the Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) as part of the application cycle of the Community Impact and Visit Nebraska Marketing Grant programs. The funding will be used for the Image Library, Website & Advertising Expansion project. 

Union Station, Kansas City, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) received a grant of $20,000 from Bayer Fund. The grant will be used towards building a better future by helping provide scholarships for local students to visit both Science City and the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium. The program is for students in grades K-12 at public or charter schools in the Kansas City metro area, including Jackson, Johnson, Wyandotte, and Clay counties as well as non-profit community groups that serve individuals from historically underrepresented communities. 

Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN) received a $2.5 million grant through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support the Lenape Connection & Kinship on the White River project, which aims to amplify the voices of the Lenape people, honoring their cultural heritage, history and traditions. 

The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) was awarded an Inspire Iowa Cultural Tourism Grant award of $50,000 in support of the summer 2025 traveling exhibit, Ice Dinosaurs: The Lost World of the Alaskan Arctic. Funding will support this new traveling exhibit, in addition to educational programming and a correlated regional marketing campaign designed to attract significant tourism to the River Museum and the region. 

AWARDS & RECOGNITION 

Newsweek USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards were recently announced and featured Affiliates in the following categories: 

Best Free Museum 

  • California Science Center (Los Angeles, CA) 

Best History Museum 

Best Museum Ship 

Best Music Museum 

  • Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ) 

Best Open-Air Museum 

Best Planetarium 

Best Science Museum 

Booth Western Art Museum (Cartersville, GA) and Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville, GA), were recognized for their contributions to the museum industry at the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference. The awards highlight both museums’ dedication to innovation, accessibility, and education. 

  • Booth Western Art Museum received a multimedia award for its bilingual digital tour. The museum developed a low-cost, web-based tour that delivers an engaging, bilingual experience and provides greater accessibility for the region’s Spanish-speaking community, which makes up over 13% of the local population. 
  • Tellus Science Museum’s annual summer internship program was honored with Georgia Association of Museums’ Student Project Award for developing a new Solar System Traveling Trunk program. The portable educational resource aligns with Georgia’s state science curriculum and provides interactive lessons for students suitable for a wide range of grade levels. 

The travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler recently published a list of the 51 best museums in the United States, which included the following Affiliates: 

  • Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, AZ) 

LEADERSHIP 

Michelle Larson, CEO of the Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL), announced she is stepping down to become president of Clarkson University in upstate New York.  The planetarium’s chief financial officer, Audris Wong, has been tapped as interim CEO while the board of trustees undertakes the process of hiring a permanent replacement for Larson. 

Nicole Harvey, a longtime employee of the Oklahoma Historical Society, has been named the next director of the Oklahoma History Center Museum (Oklahoma City, OK) after serving as interim director. 

Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth, MA) announced Executive Director, Ellie Donovan, is retiring from the Museum this year. Donovan has held several positions at the Museum, serving as Executive Director for the last 16 years. The trustees of the museum added Deputy Director of Research and Public Engagement, Tom Begley, will assume the role of Executive Director following Donovan’s departure. 

Kudos Affiliates!! Happy New Year Edition

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING 

The Indiana Historical Society (Indianapolis, IN) announced it is the recipient of a more than $48,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will allow IHS to develop an interpretive framework and resource list that connects Indiana history to the nation’s founding principles. The framework is designed to encourage conversations about America’s past, present and future and its progress. The project will be developed with input from a wide range of Indiana residents and organizations, including those from marginalized and under-represented communities. 

The Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) was one of several Nebraska organizations to receive part of a $200,000 Google donation to support community programs for Nebraskans. The Durham Museum will use the funding to support a student outreach initiative that will engage students and educators through virtual field trips, on-site field trips and other activities. 

LEADERSHIP 
 
The Board of Commissioners of the Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) announced Dr. Ray Vandiver will succeed Todd Bastean as president and CEO of the organization. With more than three decades of experience leading science centers and museums, Vandiver joins the Science Center from the Discovery Lab in Tulsa, OK, where he served as the founding executive director for over 12 years. Vandiver will assume leadership of the Science Center on February 28, 2025. 

The Witte Museum (San Antonio, TX) Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. Michelle Cuellar Everidge as CEO & president, beginning February 1, 2025. Rooted in San Antonio with a significant tenure at the Witte Museum, Dr. Everidge brings a unique combination of institutional knowledge, community connection and visionary leadership to this role. She succeeds Dirk Elmendorf, who stepped in as a transitional leader following the transformative legacy of Marise McDermott’s remarkable 20-year tenure. 

The National Jazz Museum in Harlem (New York, NY) shared Executive Director Tracy Hyter-Suffern will step down from her position on January 31, 2025. Tracy’s departure caps seven years of Tracy’s leadership, during which the Museum has celebrated a period of extraordinary growth and transformation and has reinforced its position as a leading cultural, educational and civic organization in the Harlem community, in New York City and worldwide. Susheel Kurien, who is deeply steeped in jazz, will serve as interim executive director until a permanent replacement is hired. 

C.J. Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay History Center (Tampa, FL) has agreed to lead North Carolina’s statewide network of history museums. Roberts will oversee eight museums, including the flagship North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh, NC). The center’s board of trustees will conduct a nationwide search for Roberts’ successor. 

The Museum of Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, CA) announced the appointment of Karen Wise as its new executive director. With a proven track record in museum leadership, community engagement, and strategic growth, Wise brings a wealth of experience to this vital role as the Museum enters its 40th anniversary year. 

Kudos Affiliates!! Year End 2024

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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.

FUNDING

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) has received a $20,000 Cultural Leadership Partners Program Operating Support Grant. This grant will support the River Museum’s ongoing efforts to advance inclusion for visitors and staff. With support from the Cultural Leadership Partners program, the River Museum is now a KultureCity Sensory Inclusive Certified Facility. Features include sensory bags, free to check out at the box office, filled with tools to reduce stimuli and help navigate the museum for those with sensory-processing needs. Funding will also support sensory days programming that provides a sensory-friendly environment including dimmed lighting, limited ambient sounds, and no distracting exhibit motions during these public events.

Kenosha Public Museums Foundation (Kenosha, WI) received an annual grant from The Green Bay Packers Foundation to support the Weaving Cultural and Environmental Narratives: Honoring Native Women and Protecting Our Waters exhibition.

The Indiana Youth Institute awarded $20,000 to Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN) to focus on gaps/needs in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and/or trauma-informed workplaces and are working to improve workplace conditions for youth workers.

History Colorado (Denver, CO) received a $164,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund. This funding will be matched by History Colorado to update geothermal heating systems and make various buildings at Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center more energy efficient.

The Indiana Historical Society (Indianapolis, IN) is the recipient of a $48,653 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will directly fund a planning framework for the United States’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will help Indiana’s commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence by enabling the IHS to develop an interpretive framework and resource list that connects Indiana history to the nation’s founding principles. The framework will be made available to interested historical, cultural and community organizations to aid in local planning and programming efforts related to the United States’ semi-quincentennial in 2026.

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission approved 28 Historical & Archival Records Care grants totaling $152,571 to support crucial efforts to preserve Pennsylvania’s invaluable historical records and make them accessible to residents across the Commonwealth, including Senator John Heinz History Center (Pittsburgh, PA) – $4,994, and Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor – $4,500 (Easton, PA)

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Dr. Takashi Hoshizaki, a founding member of the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation (Powell, WY), received the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation during a ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA). Dr. Hoshizaki was recognized for his contributions to U.S.-Japanese relations, his leadership in creating the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation and for his career in the space program.

The American Alliance of Museums announced 25 reaccreditation awards made at the October 2024 meeting of the Accreditation Commission. The following Affiliates received re-accreditation:

The Association of Science and Technology Centers honored eight member organizations, including two Affiliates, with the Roy L. Shafer Leading Edge Organizational Award:

  • Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Denver, CO) was honored for The Institute for Science & Policy, which is part community engagement and part think tank. The Institute enables the museum to tackle “wicked problems”—those which can be difficult to define, complex, and with no clear solutions—in a way that centers community perspectives. Tackling such issues as water scarcity, energy transition, climate change, and misinformation, the Institute has leveraged the museum’s strong reputation as a trusted convener to engage a broad group of stakeholders includes journalists and policymakers.
  • The Wild Center (Tupper Lake, NY) for the development of their Youth Climate Program into a replicable program that is having a real impact on global climate discussions and on the youth who participate. The Wild Center has helped facilitate over 200 climate summits in nine countries and in much of the United States. These conference-style events kickstart youth-led projects by focusing on the knowledge and skills needed for effective climate change leadership. They have helped youth from around the world to build confidence and competence as climate leaders, empowered them to develop Climate Action Plans for their schools, and connected them with local government to create more climate-resilient communities—all while centering and involving the youth in all aspects of planning and implementation.

LEADERSHIP

Whatcom Museum (Bellingham, WA) Executive Director Patricia Leach announced she will retire March 31, 2025. She has been at the helm of the museum for the past 17 years and has enjoyed a 42-year career at the executive director level.

The Board of Trustees of The Rockwell Museum (Corning, NY) announced the appointment of Erin M. Coe as the new executive director, effective January 1, 2025. With decades of experience as a museum leader, curator, educator and arts advocate, Coe brings a wealth of expertise and vision to The Rockwell as it advances its position as a destination and community resource for American art and culture.