Board of Directors
Edward J. Jones, Chair
J. Christopher Lombardo, Vice Chair
Linda Malone, Secretary
Julie Dalton, Treasurer
Allyson Loos, Founder/Emeritus
Simone Lutgert, Emeritus
Mary Baron
Timothy J. Cartwright
Ryan S. Goldberg
Mary Beth Johns
Carol A. Lund
Martha Meyers
Thomas M. O’Neill
Charla Press
J. Keith Short
Catharine S. Singleton
Shelly Stayer
Founding Board Members:
Allyson Loos, Founder
Lisa Barnett
Kim Buckheit
Nancy Ross
Julie Koester
Brenda Prioletti
Museum Guild
Established in 2006, The Children’s Museum Guild is an organization of over 50 active volunteers who support the Museum through their signature annual fundraisers, including the Yabba Island Pirate Ball, Wine Week and other activities such as the Fall Festival’s Oktoberfest and the Family Fun Day, presented by Johnsonville Sausage.
In 2012, the Guild’s Yabba Island Pirate Ball was retired after 8 years of pillaging. The event, which was known by many as being the best party is town, brought in more than half a million dollars to the Museum.
The party doesn’t end there. The Guild organized a two day Fall Festival, presented by Johnsonville Sausage, celebrating the Bavarian holiday with an adult Oktoberfest and Family Fun Day. Oktoberfest guests buried their pirate attire and replaced it with lederhosen and dirndls while they indulged in German beers, Johnsonville Bratwurst and beer cheese fondue. Children and their families closed the festival with a day of crafts, activities, bounce houses, face painting and more.
Guild members contribute tens of thousands of hours of their time to both the events as well as the Museum itself as a volunteer. They are a committed, enthusiastic group of men and women who are an integral component of the ongoing success of the Museum.
For more information on the requirements of being a member of the Museum Guild or to become an event partner, please contact Mimy von Schreiner-Valenti, Guild President, at mimyvs@aol.com.
Announcements:
C’mon Announces New CEO
Edward J. Jones, Board Chair of the Golisano Children’s Museum of Naples, announced today that Andy Marquart has been selected as the Museum’s Chief Executive Officer effective November 1, 2012. Mr. Marquart is an innovative and visionary leader and a successful fundraiser who has previously developed sustainable financial and operating strategies that are needed to grow Naples newest museum well into the future.
Since 2008, Mr. Marquart has been Executive Director of the Mid-America Science Museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Previously, he had been Museum Manager at the Discovery Center of Springfield in Springfield, MO and the Event Coordinator at Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Ozarks in Springfield. Mr. Marquart has a B.S. in Public Relations/Communications from Missouri State University.
C’mon’s Board conducted a national search for its next leader under the guidance of Kittleman & Associates, LLC, a national executive search firm dedicated exclusively to serving nonprofit organizations and institutions. Mr. Marquart led the field of nearly 100 applicants.
Since C’mon opened in February, more than 100,000 visitors have experienced the museum’s extraordinary array of exhibits, educational programs and innovative resources. Mr. Jones added, “We have exceeded all initial forecasts in terms of revenue, number of daily visitors and memberships sold. In fact, we have already achieved our annual goal of 3,500 memberships. We are blowing the roof off of the targets we set and there is excitement in the museum every day. Andy will play a key role in sustaining this excitement for valuable informal learning opportunities through quality content development. We are excited about Andy joining our team and, as he represents C’mon, he will be a valuable leader in our community. ”
