Everhart Museum in Scranton names Kathy Johnson Bowles as new executive director
From a press release:
After a nationwide six-month search with assistance from the Arts Consulting Group, the board of trustees of the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science, and Art has announced that Kathy Johnson Bowles was selected as the new executive director of the Scranton museum.
Johnson Bowles brings with her 32 years of experience in museum management and higher education, specializing in fundraising, strategic planning, community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.
She has worked extensively with educational and not-for-profit institutions creating philanthropic and revenue-generating solutions as the CEO of Gordian Knot Consulting, as a senior executive in higher education, and as a museum director. Her advice on management best practices has been published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Higher Education, and the National Association of University and College Business Officers, among others. As a museum director, she has organized more than 120 exhibitions and has written numerous catalogs and essays for national publications.
“Ms. Johnson Bowles successfully led Longwood University’s Longwood Center for the Visual Art to national accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and received more than a dozen international, national, and regional awards for excellence in programs and publications. Her experience is extensive, and the board of trustees and I have much confidence in her ability to provide the guidance and leadership needed as we look to the future,” said Chairman of the Board Don Frederickson.
Johnson Bowles has provided service to national, state, and regional boards, including an appointment by the governor of Virginia to the Library of Virginia board, and she was a Fellow with the American Council on Education, the Harvard Management Institute, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
“I am passionate about the role museums play in communities. Museums allow us to showcase our history, connect it to our lives today as we imagine the future. I hope to bring my experience to the Everhart, guiding and leading the team to achieve institutional excellence through focused innovation and shared responsibility as we serve the public,” Johnson Bowles said.
She will relocate to the Scranton area from North Carolina. The move will bring her closer to her daughter, who resides in Philadelphia.
The Everhart Museum (1901 Mulberry St., Scranton) was closed until February due to a surge in local cases of COVID-19. It is currently open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and noon-5 p.m. on Sundays.
The Everhart was founded in 1908 by Dr. Isaiah Fawkes Everhart, a Scranton physician and businessman with a keen interest in natural history. Located in Scranton’s historic Nay Aug Park, the Everhart is the largest general museum in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is dedicated to the collection, care, and display of a diverse array of objects and specimens, including natural history, science, and fine arts. Through its exhibitions and programs, the museum has been an invaluable regional resource for educational and cultural opportunities for over 100 years.
General support for the museum is received from the Lackawanna County Office of Education and Culture, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the city of Scranton. For more information, contact the museum at 570-346-7186 or email general.information@everhartmuseum.org.
