JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. – Jackson Hole Children’s Museum (JHCM) announced Tuesday that Jenn Dawes will be the new president of the board of directors.
Katie Burke will step into vice president, and Bill Van Gelder will also join the board.
“We are thrilled to have such strong talent and expertise on our executive committee, especially as the museum continues to search for a long-term home and build financial capacity,” said Craig Morris, outgoing board president and the museum’s founder.
Dawes is an Associate Broker with Doyle Dawes Real Estate Partners. Burke is a Senior Strategist at Edelman in NYC. Van Gelder is with Jackson Hole Sotheby’s International Realty.
Executive Director Jean Lewis plans to step away from her current role. She will, however, join the board at the end of the year.
“I have been involved in the museum since its inception—as a founding family, then staff member, and [finally] director,” Lewis said. “I remain committed to JHCM and the essential services that we provide to the community; however, at this juncture, it is critical that the organization has a fulltime executive director to lead us through these important capacity-building efforts.”
Dawes added, “We are immensely grateful for Jean’s service. During her tenure, she has positioned the museum as an essential community anchor and catalyst. We plan to build on this momentum, and we are excited for a bright future. For our organization in particular, it is also best-case scenario that Jean is willing to transition to the board.”
The board of directors has formed a search committee to hire a new executive director, and will begin the process this month.
