News

Worcester, Mass. – May 28, 2019 The EcoTarium museum of science and nature welcomes Cristoff Shay for the newly created position of Vice President of Experience on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. Shay arrives after five years in his most recent role as Battleship Cove executive vice president in Fall River, Mass, where he managed all aspects of visitor services, donor relations, and retail operations. This new responsibility at the EcoTarium is an essential function of the transformed staffing configuration done at the end of 2018 after Lucy Hale was selected as president and CEO; realigning the historic institution into three overarching departments: Advancement, Experience and Shared Services. Recent staffing transitions also transpired to complete the reorganization: Kerry Castorano was promoted to Vice President of Advancement and Gene Peterson was promoted to Vice President of Shared Services. To further set up the museum for success, the marketing department was remodeled from a part-time advertising-focus to a full suite marketing and communications team with a dedicated director (Rachel Stoff), and digital marketing specialist post (Jon Isperduli) to manage content creation. Furthermore, as part of the shift towards zoological accreditation, the wildlife department is now Living Collections, with Johanna Black as curator of living collections which focuses on both the museum’s live animal and natively landscaped grounds. The new structure, done in full partnership with the Board of Trustees, enables the institution to focus on key components of the 2016-2020 strategic plan, specifically in community engagement, diversified revenues, and national accreditation’s for zoos and museums.

“Implementing this new organizational structure was vitally important to ensuring long-term sustainability for this historic institution and gives us the opportunity and resources to focus our efforts on major work towards both institutional accreditations and full community engagement and
service” shared EcoTarium President/CEO Lucy Hale.

The staffing fulfillment falls at an opportune time for the EcoTarium, as last week the museum was selected as an awardee of the Creative Community Engagement Grant Program through Greater Worcester Community Foundation to focus on community participation. The program is an element of the Foundation’s Creative Worcester Initiative, launched in partnership with the Barr Foundation.

Hale says the institution is honored to have the support to further expand programs and services to connect with diverse communities that represent the region’s demographics.

About the EcoTarium
The EcoTarium museum of science and nature in Worcester, Massachusetts offers an indoor- outdoor experience to visitors of all ages. Guests are encouraged to explore three floors of indoor interactive exhibits, live animal habitats, exciting shows in the digital planetarium, daily science discovery programs, hikes through forest and meadow nature trails, outdoor
imaginative play, and a narrow-gauge railroad Explorer Express Train. Founded in 1825, it has been a leader in informal science and nature education for nearly 200 years, and today still intent on inspiring a passion for science and nature, welcomes more than 175,000 visitors per year. For more information, visit ecotarium.org.