Cathryn Ferree Email & Phone Number

Statewide museum system with 12 locations and thousands of ways for visitors to experience Indiana’s past, present and future. The system’s annual attendance is 175,000. The collection includes 500,000 objects in art, archeology, paleobiology, natural science, furniture, textiles, technology and social history. The Indiana State Museum is part of White River State Park in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. Eleven historic sites can be found across the state, stretching from Rome City in northeastern Indiana to Evansville in the southwest.• Responsible for an annual budget of $15M and 164 full-time, part-time and seasonal staff• Recruit and serve with 24 board of directors members• Liaise with the Governor’s Office, the State Budget Committee and local legislators• Developed a new 5-year strategic plan, including new vision, mission and values• Raised over $19M in capital funds and $6.5M in private operating funds since 2017• Led effort to attain institutional accreditation from the American Museum Alliance• Implemented a visitor-centric experience with thought-provoking exhibits, including:o ‘Fix: Heartbreak and Hope Inside Our Opioid Crisis’ (AMM Award for Best Practices)o ‘Major Taylor: Fastest Man in the World’ o ‘Influencing Lincoln: The Pursuit of Black Freedom’ temporary exhibitiono ‘Gallery One’ and ‘Ancient Seas’ permanent exhibitions• Redeveloped T.C. Steele State Historic Site experience including a new visitor center• Led structural and experiential redevelopment of Angel Mounds State Historic Site through work with native tribes• Created an early childhood program and opened Firefly Landing experience• Partnered with the Learning Tree, Asante Art Institute of Indianapolis and Mujeres Conectadas

Conner Prairie, a Smithsonian affiliate museum, had annual attendance of 360,000. It had an annual operating budget of $11M. Situated on nearly 850 acres, it had over 7,000 member households and an endowment of approximately $100M. Conner Prairie was presented The National Medal for Museum and Library Services, a National Science Foundation Grant and numerous other local, regional and national awards.• Managed an operating budget of $5M• Led Exhibits, Programs and Education, Interpretation and Evaluation and Facilities divisions• Developed and implemented a five-year master plan for programs, events and operations• Key member of 2014-2018 Conner Prairie Strategic Plan development and implementation team• Served as Board liaison for Major Projects and Technology Task Force• Principal Investigator for a $2.3M National Science Foundation (NSF) grant• Led change for major projects and events:o Developed new interpretation method integrating history and STEMo Integrated the use of exhibits and technologyo Added nature to the daily experienceo Transformed festival program to appeal to donors, address STEM and expand engagement

• Led the development of two, first-of-kind exhibits that transformed visitors’ experiences and were measured as a 19% increase in visitor attendance and 48% increase in memberships over five years• Restructured the institution’s internal organization to meet changing needs

As the world’s largest children’s museum, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis had an annual attendance of 1.2 million. Located just north of downtown, it had over 32,000 member households and an endowment of approximately $250M. Its annual operating budget was $25M.• Managed a department budget of $4.8M• Led Traveling Exhibits Incoming and Outgoing, Design, Exhibit Development and Production• Developed five-year strategic plan for exhibits• Led the design, development and production of the nationally acclaimed $3.3M permanent ‘Power of the Children’ exhibit

• Opened the NEW Children’s Museum of Atlanta March 2003• Managed construction of $4.4M facility on time and on budget• Managed design, production and installation of $2.3M of exhibits• Directed infrastructure, exhibits and operations of new 45,000sq ft museum• Led Exhibits, Programs, Visitor Services, Education, Facilities and Security

• Opened the NEW Children’s Museum of Atlanta March 2003• Managed construction of $4.4M facility on time and on budget• Managed design, production and installation of $2.3M of exhibits• Directed infrastructure, exhibits and operations of new 45,000sq ft museum• Led Exhibits, Programs, Visitor Services, Education, Facilities and Security

Served in six positions over 12 years, with final position as Education Curator.

Master'S Degree, Public Affairs Nonprofit Management

Bachelor'S Degree, Telecommunications And Political Science