About the Glazer Children’s Museum
The Glazer Children’s Museum is a nonprofit educational and cultural resource with the mission to create learning environments where children play, discover and connect to the world around them to develop as lifelong learners and leaders. Established in 1985 as The Children’s Museum of Tampa, the Museum has evolved into one of the largest and highest quality public resources for early childhood education and hands-on learning in Tampa Bay. Since opening in the new location in Downtown Tampa, the Museum has attracted an average visitation of 210,000 guests annually.
From humble beginnings in a small storefront location, the Museum provided exhibits that gave children a safe place to learn through play. For 29 years, the Museum has established impactful partnerships with corporations, foundations and other nonprofit organizations to ensure that all children have access to the Museum’s rich educational tools that focus on themed exhibit areas, dramatic play, sensory exploration, math, science and the arts.
The 53,000 square foot Museum provides a safe and playful environment where children and adults can learn about themselves and each other through exploration, role-playing and direct experience. The highly interactive Museum includes multiple themed galleries and 170 ‘interactivities’ hands-on, minds-on exhibits for children aged birth to ten. A combination of permanent and traveling exhibits, comprehensive year round programs and special events provide children, parents, caregivers and teachers a rich and ever-changing environment for playful learning. Glazer Children’s Museum also offers over 5,000 feet of event rental space, 2,500 feet of classroom space and a 1,000 foot roof terrace accessible from the third floor.
Awards and Recognition
The Museum has been widely recognized for its success and leadership. GCM’s acknowledgments include:
Tampa Bay Metro Magazine’s Best Place to Let Kids Play – 2012 & 2014
Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence – 2013, 2014 & 2015
Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Nonprofit of the Year – 2012
Tampa
The Glazer Children’s Museum is located in the heart of downtown Tampa on the West Coast of Florida near the Gulf of Mexico. Within Hillsborough County, Tampa is home to 1.3 million people as well as numerous Fortune 1,000 companies. Situated near the port of Tampa, Florida’s largest deep water port and one of the areas largest employers and a significant economic engine for the region, the Museum’s location is the gateway to a major innovation re-development project in Downtown Tampa spearheaded by Jeff Vinik, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The new Glazer Children’s Museum opened in September 2010. The new facility was built along the River Walk on the Hillsborough River across from the University of Tampa and sits directly next to the Tampa Museum of Art, one of Florida’s leading cultural institutions within the Downtown area. Other cultural attractions in close proximity to the Museum include The Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay History Center, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Convention Center and the Amalie Arena (home of the Tampa Bay Lightning) among others. Hillsborough County has a growing economy and attractive employment profile that includes major corporations including USAA, Amazon, Bristol Myer Squibb, Johnson and Johnson and Citigroup.
Hillsborough County Schools are the 8th largest school district in the nation with over 205,000 students. Tampa is also home to the University of South Florida, University of Tampa and Hillsborough Community College. Tampa also has more than 120 private and parochial schools.
Tampa Bay has 6 professional sports teams. The 2002 Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose owners are the Museum’s namesake, as well as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa Bay Rays baseball, the New York Yankees spring training home, Tampa Bay Storm arena football and Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer club.
For additional information on Tampa, please visit: www.tampasdowntown.com and www.tampabay.org.
Exhibitions and Programs
Exhibitions
During the capital campaign to build the Glazer Children’s Museum, community focus groups were conducted to solicit feedback from stakeholders, parents, educators, community leaders, donors and children on what types of activities and themes were most highly desired in a new facility.
The themed exhibit areas that exist in the Museum today are a direct result of the community feedback from those focus groups. The permanent exhibits include: Art Smart, Design+Build, Get Moving and Water’s Journey. For more information and a full list of the Museum’s permanent exhibitions, please visit:www.glazermuseum.org.
Programs
Daily programs are staff-directed educational experiences focused on a seasonal theme, Museum exhibit area, science, math, art or literacy. Programs change regularly to ensure there is something for everyone.
Regular programs include: Make it Mondays, an art lab for all ages, Toddler Tuesdays and Thursdays, targeted programming for ages 1-3, Whisk In Wednesdays, cooking programs for all ages and Fun Fridays, a theatre-style show lead by the Museum’s Program Team.
Additionally, the Museum’s hosts the following programs on an annual basis: Little Sweetheart’s Dance (February), Egg Hunt (April), Summer Celebration (June), Birthday Bash (September), Halloween Spree (October), Tasty Traditions (November/December) and Snowflake Swirl (December).
For more information on the Museum’s programs, please visit: http://www.glazermuseum.org/programs.
Partners
Resource Partners Resource partners provide financial and educational tools to support one or more Museum program. These companies and organizations go beyond sponsorship and truly work in step with Museum educators to ensure programs have the supplies and tools they need to have positive learning outcomes.
Resource Partners include: Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, GTE Financial, Happy Family Brands, Macy’s, PNC Bank, Target, TD Bank, USAA, Wells Fargo, Publix, Rooms To Go, Glazer Family Foundation, Port Tampa Bay, Junior League of Tampa, Telemundo and BrightHouse Network.
Educational Partners Educational Partners work with the Museum to directly deliver programs and services to guests. They are leaders in their field and provide impactful experiences with intentional learning outcomes.
Educational Partners include: Center for Autism & Related Disabilities USF, College of Behavioral & Community Sciences, Champions for Children, Baby Bungalow, Early Learning Coalition, Head Start, Hillsborough AEYC, Hillsborough Community College, Early Literacy Matters, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Patel Conservatory, Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Fashion Week, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, University of South Florida College of Education, University of Tampa Department of Education, University of Tampa Department of Psychology and WEDU.
Outreach Partners
Outreach partners work with the Museum to ensure all children have access to the Museum’s learning environment regardless of ability to pay admission or physical abilities. As a nonprofit and a community organization, the Museum identified these Outreach Partners to help serve all children and families in Tampa Bay. These ongoing partners include: Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Hispanic Services Council, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Tampa General Hospital.
For more information on the Glazer Children’s Museum, please visit: www.glazermuseum.org.
For highlights from the Museum’s recent Education is Key Breakfast, click here.
Role
The President & CEO has the central responsibility for providing leadership and direction for the Glazer Children’s Museum. The President & CEO, in conjunction with the Board, will articulate the goals of the Museum and will work with the Board and staff in achieving them. S/he integrates the strategic direction from the Board with the day-to-day operations and serves as a conduit between internal and external stakeholders and the Tampa Bay community.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, the President & CEO leads and supports the Glazer Children’s Museum in fulfilling its purpose, vision, mission, values and strategic plan. Primary responsibilities include direction setting, implementation, exhibition planning and development, communications, audience development, fundraising, operations and administration.
Additionally, it is the President & CEO’s responsibility to ensure the Museum is running a fiscally sound operation, attracting, hiring and retaining top talent and inspiring the staff to meet outcomes and be a catalyst for exciting, innovative and educationally sound programs, filled with a sense of fun and discovery.
The President & CEO’s primary responsibilities include:
Vision, Direction Setting, Creativity and Implementation
Work with the Board and staff to evaluate and refine the Museum’s strategic direction and lead implementation efforts.
Develop strategies to strengthen the Museum’s identity, brand and visibility throughout the broader Tampa Bay/regional market through public relations and marketing initiatives.
Establish and expand programming and exhibits to enhance the Museum’s profile, attract donors and reflect the educational vision for the children of the Tampa Bay community.
Expand the Museum’s role as a major center for creativity and as a community resource for early childhood development and education.
Promote the Museum and its programs to build membership and key partnerships to support the mission.
Ensure the Museum is accessible to the diverse Tampa communities and broaden its reach to the different segments of the region and underserved populations.
Establish him or herself as an educational leader in the region and build partnerships and collaborations with Tampa’s public and private entities.
Development
Work closely with the Board to strengthen the ability to govern and provide the necessary resources for the Museum.
Play a leadership role in fundraising and enthusiastically approach resource building with creativity including identifying and developing alternative revenue streams, such as collaborative partnerships that produce fundraising revenues.
Work with Board and Development Committee to cultivate resources necessary to assure success of fundraising, including building an endowment and grantmaking.
Work to increase and diversify financial support from donors, foundations, corporations and government funders.
Seek and attract traveling exhibits that meet strategic goals, earn revenue, increase attendance and maximize resources of the Museum through collaborative programming and joint ventures with other organizations that share a commitment to children and development.
Operations
Oversee the Museum in a fiscally responsible manner through effective planning, budgeting and forecasting, ensuring the long-term fiscal health and success of the Museum.
Work closely with the staff to prepare annual budgets and monthly finance reports for the Board and Finance Committee’s approval and ensure timely financial data for budgeting decisions and fundraising plans.
Attract and retain talented and qualified staff while building a positive organizational structure.
Oversee staff performance and conduct annual performance revenues.
Keep the Board fully informed on all initiatives and serve as intermediary between Board and staff.
Candidate profile
The ideal candidate will have the following personal competencies and characteristics:
Passion for the Mission & Cultural Fit with the Museum
A deep personal passion for the mission of the Museum and a commitment to children and early childhood education.
Alignment with the culture and values of the Museum.
A team player who embodies a sense of ownership and pride in the work of the Museum.
Knowledge of early childhood education and a commitment to building and attracting excellent exhibitions and programs.
A commitment to serving and engaging the diverse populations of Tampa.
A Relationship Builder & Ambassador
An energetic, approachable, personable ambassador for the Museum.
An articulate, dynamic and diplomatic communicator who enjoys building relationships and connections.
Strong creative, collaborative and interpersonal skills and an ability to build and maintain support across a wide range of stakeholders including Board, staff, volunteers, donors, corporations and the public.
Fundraising & Development
Proven or emergent fundraiser who energetically embraces this aspect of the role.
Able to cultivate relationships with a variety of donors, including major individual donors and corporations.
Creative and entrepreneurial approach to leveraging the assets of the Museum to strengthen alternate revenue streams, enabling the President & CEO to access previously untapped support in the Tampa Bay region.
Business Acumen & Management Skills
A strong track record of success in Board building and relations and a willingness to actively engage Board members.
Problem solving capabilities and practical business sense.
Demonstrate experience attracting, retaining and motivating top talent.
Ability to develop a productive internal culture by emphasizing collaboration, collegiality and teamwork.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Strategic planning and execution skills.
Marketing and communications experience.
Seasoned experience with the media.
Maturity, a sense of humor and an outgoing, inclusive personality.
An Orientation toward Community
Enjoys the external side of the President & CEO’s role.
Has a commitment to reaching out to a diverse community.
Enthusiastically embraces the Greater Tampa Bay community professionally and personally and genuinely enjoys the opportunity to live in the city and region.
Provides leadership both inside and outside the Museum itself.
How to apply
Koya Leadership Partners has been exclusively retained for this search. To express your interest in this role, please submit your materials tohttps://koya.refineapp.com/jobPosting/apply/905 or reach out to Alison P. Ranney and Alexandra N. Corvin directly at koyachicago@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.