Position: President and Director

Mystic Seaport, The Museum of America and the Sea, located in Mystic, Connecticut, currently is seeking a new President and Director. Driven by the exciting goals of the planned transformation of the Mystic Seaport Museum, this individual will leverage the foundation built to date by the Board and the retiring President, Rear Admiral Douglas H. Teeson, to take the Museum to the next level.

Founded in 1929, Mystic Seaport is the nation’s leading maritime museum. With an operating budget of over $20 million and a full-time staff of over 200 people, the Museum attracts more than 300,000 visitors annually. Mystic Seaport’s assets include four National Historic Landmark vessels, an operational preservation shipyard, an interactive 19th century New England seafaring village, the Nation’s most extensive (non-Naval) maritime library, and the famous Rosenfeld collection of yachting and maritime photography. Mystic Seaport also offers educational programs for all ages, ranging from summer day camp and sailing lessons to higher education programs, including the prestigious undergraduate level Maritime Studies Program in partnership with Williams College. It is not only an institution of great historical prestige but one that is also embarking on very exciting changes for the future to better serve its many local, national and global constituencies.

The new President and Director will work with the Board of Trustees and oversee the senior staff of the Museum. Additionally, the President and Director will externally serve as the key representative to the community and world for Mystic Seaport. He/she will have responsibility to create and sustain a stronger base of financial support across a very broad set of constituencies, with the goal to solidify and strengthen the institution’s leadership role in education and other museum core functions.

Given the breadth and diversity of responsibilities and constituencies involved in this position, the President and Director must be a talented, experienced museum, education or fundraising professional who is a proven leader with a strong development record or obvious potential to be a skilled fundraiser. The successful candidate will have the respect of his professional peers, and should possess a commitment to education and the role of museums as public institutions. He/she must possess a talent in working with business and community leaders in groups and on a one-to-one basis. For additional information on Mystic Seaport, please visit www.mysticseaport.org. All nominations and applications should be sent to: MysticSeaportMuseum@heidrick.com Mystic Seaport Museum is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer