The Hagley Museum and Library has a new CEO with big plans for the institution’s future.
Hillary Olson took over at the museum last month. She brings with her an extensive background working at museums and planetariums around the US, most recently as President and CEO of the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
Olson studied earth and space science as an undergraduate student, and while she loved science, she also wanted more than a career sitting behind a screen.
“I was excited to share science - and later, as I grew in my career, natural and cultural history - with human beings,” she says.
In her new role at the Hagley, Olson says she sees the museum as more than just a collection of objects, papers, and buildings.
“It's not just about the content,” she says. “It's about why are you doing it? Why are you communicating with the public? And what are you offering people, either families or school children or adults, that improves their lives?”
Olson says the museum is running well, thanks to the leadership of its former Executive Director Jill MacKenzie, who retired earlier this year after 44 years at the Hagley in various capacities. Still, she notes, there are challenges on the horizon. Federal funding is anything but certain in these times, for one thing.
Another constant concern is the Hagley’s collection of historic buildings, which require constant upkeep to keep them ready for the public.
"They're old and making sure that we maintain them and keep them safe and keep the objects inside safe is going to be a really big challenge,” she says. “It's already a really big challenge.”
As she begins her tenure, Olson says she wants to focus on telling more people about the wide variety of things at the Hagley Museum and Library.
“Right now the priority is making sure that more people know what we have to offer,” she says. “Our visitorship is fine, but I think more people could be coming here and really get inspired to be innovative.”
