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Even when I showed up to work “early,” I noticed that all of the employee parking spots were filled, everyone was settled in their workspaces, and there was no morning chatter - everyone was already productively at work. The funniest mistake I made by far was thinking that our work day began at 9 a.m. Since launching the program last fall, we have welcomed more than 20,000 Museums for All visitors.Ĭan you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that? Additionally, we have begun translating our educational museum signage into Spanish and English to support the significant Latino population living in Las Vegas. To promote the program, we are able to invest in a robust Spanish language marketing campaign and build partnerships throughout our neighborhoods with the highest poverty levels. We also decided to extend the subsidy to foster child caregivers. This significant gift has enabled DISCOVERY to become the first museum in Nevada to participate in the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums for All program, offering families on assistance reduced admission of 3 dollars to the museum by showing their SNAP, WIC or EBT cards. I was fortunate enough to help close a 1 million dollars gift to DISCOVERY Children’s Museum shortly after I arrived. I think pursuing what you love and making it into a career is what made the biggest difference for me.Ĭan you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company? After seven years, I moved on to other non-profit organizations to grow my fundraising and executive administration skills, and eventually came back to PAFA nine years later as Executive Vice President of Development. My first job after graduating college was at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia, America’s oldest museum and school of fine arts. In France, I held my first internship at a museum, and the following summer back home in Pennsylvania, my second. I listened to his appeal, but in the end decided to follow my passion, studying art history abroad and picking up French as a second major. My dad, who was mostly paying for my education at a top liberal arts college, cautioned me against this choice, insisting that economics would give me a better business background. I think the defining moment in my life that brought me to this career path was when I decided to be an art history major instead of an economics major. Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path? Since joining DISCOVERY in 2018, she has spearheaded major initiatives for the museum including helping it to become the first museum in Nevada to participate in the Institute of Museum and Library Services’ Museums for All program as well as launch the first public makerspace and DISCOVERY Lab. In addition, Melissa has served as the senior director of development at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, where she helped a highly successful major gifts program launch the first endowment campaign in the organization’s history. Prior to her role at DISCOVERY Children’s Museum, she was the executive vice president of development for Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia.
KAISER THRIVE MEANING PROFESSIONAL
Melissa has more than 20 years of professional fundraising experience with an extensive background in capital campaigns, strategic planning and executive management. In her role, she is responsible for overseeing the museum’s fundraising, community relations and program management. Melissa Kaiser is the chief executive officer for DISCOVERY Children’s Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada’s premier interactive museum dedicated to curating STEAM programming for children through interactive and educational exhibits.
KAISER THRIVE MEANING SERIES
Most importantly, love what you do, and you will attract a team that does as well.Īs a part of our series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Melissa Kaiser, CEO of DISCOVERY Children’s Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. Change fosters momentum and new energy and always ends up being better in the end. Conversely, don’t try to stick it out with a team that isn’t working. Give your team respect and autonomy, reward their performance, and make sure you laugh together daily and often. Seek input from your team on your most important decisions and set goals collaboratively. Never come in thinking you have all of the answers. It will assure diversity of thought and help the team learn to be respectful of other people’s differences. Be sure as you build your team that you hire people with skills and styles complementary to yours and to each other’s skills.