Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Message from New Executive Director Caroline Payson

Dear Friends,
It is an honor to write my first letter to you as Executive Director of Providence Children's Museum.  I arrived in Providence in late February from New York, where I spent 10 years as the Director of Education at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.  While there I directed audience engagement efforts and was an advocate for education and museum outreach, locally and globally.   The common thread throughout my professional life has been connecting people to experiences and resources that will be valuable to them whether they are preschool or K-12 students, educators or life-long learners.  I've made a career of translating the content of these institutions in order to engage wider audiences and create meaningful connections.

I was thrilled when the Museum's Board of Directors offered me this exciting opportunity.  I was already aware of the wonderful work the Museum was doing, both inside its walls through its engaging exhibits and programs and its groundbreaking work in the community through the Families Together therapeutic visitation program and in partnership with organizations such as Head Start.  I was also impressed by the Museum's work researching the importance of play in child development and its leadership role in play advocacy.  I'm eager to build on the Museum's many past successes and to work with our stellar team to create new opportunities to impact children and families. 

I've had the great pleasure of meeting many supporters and community leaders over the past several weeks, and I look forward to connecting with more members of the Museum community over the coming months.  I'm excited to work with all of you to extend our important mission to inspire and celebrate learning through active play and exploration.

Sincerely,
Caroline

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