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Elizabeth Pierce, President & CEO Elizabeth Pierce has earnest passion to fuel curiosity, unleash wonder and celebrate knowledge. As the CEO of Cincinnati Museum Center, she sees limitless potential to evoke a spirit of discovery, creativity and critical thinking for people of all ages. At the heart of her leadership is a deep understanding of CMC’s impact on the lives of people in this community and across the globe. She is an advocate for early childhood education and lifelong learning, beginning her career at Chicago Children’s Museum. She carried that passion to Cincinnati in 1999, serving as a communications consultant to Cincinnati Museum Center in 2001. Her relationship with CMC grew deeper through regular visits to Union Terminal with her young sons. She joined the Duke Energy Children's’ Museum Advisory Board in 2004, serving as the chair of the advisory board and as a CMC trustee before joining staff as vice president of marketing & communications in 2007. She has been a key member of the senior leadership team for the past eight years, driving financial success through robust museum admissions revenue, OMNIMAX® films and blockbuster special exhibitions including:
During her tenure, Elizabeth has dynamically engaged CMC curators and exhibition staff to leverage the vast collections for community impact and fundraising growth, including the celebration of Union Terminal’s 75th anniversary year (2008), the series of CMC Treasures exhibitions (2012-2015) and the Daughters of the Queen City initiative (2014). From local history to premiere global exhibits, Elizabeth will guide CMC as future content and programs are kept relevant, fresh and prolific for valued visitors. Elizabeth has been a leader in the efforts to secure public support for Union Terminal. She served as a key staff leader of the 2014 Cultural Facilities Task Force. She helped drive the Save our Icons community engagement campaign in partnership with Music Hall resident companies and Landor and she established a vital partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Elizabeth guided the Union Terminal sales tax campaign, resulting in the passage of this vital community support by 62% of Hamilton County voters. Cincinnati Museum Center is pleased that Elizabeth will continue to passionately lead the organization building on her extensive experience as a leader in Cincinnati and at other notable museums over the past 20 years. Early in her career, Elizabeth gained experience in the photo archives department of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.; public program development at The Corcoran Gallery of Art; special events and fundraising at The National Endowment for the Arts and the Chicago Children’s Museum. She stepped outside the museum industry for a period of time gaining strategic communications skills, community engagement and media relations expertise. Elizabeth Pierce deeply treasures the unique range of subjects that CMC presents. Her personal and family experiences have given her a healthy fascination with biology and the natural world; an enthusiasm for geography and an appreciation for layers of context revealed by history. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) and studied at the Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center in Luxembourg. Her experiences overseas as a student of history, architecture and economics ultimately inspired her to pursue a museum career. She holds a Masters of Museum Studies/Administration and American Studies from The George Washington University. She is a graduate of Leadership Cincinnati, Class 32. She has been a leader in several parenting/school groups, a member of Kindervelt #50, a contributor to Impact 100 and is a current member of the Women’s Capital Club. Elizabeth and her husband, Brad, and their children have been residents of Cincinnati for 15 years and reside in Indian Hill.
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Dave Duszynski, Vice President of Featured Experiences and Customer Services I came to the Museum of Natural History on Gilbert Avenue in 1985 as the Planetarium Director, just in time for Halley’s Comet. In 1990, along with the opening of Museum Center at Union Terminal, I assumed responsibility of the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater operations and have been a consulting producer on many OMNIMAX® films during the past 20+ years. Currently, I am also responsible for customer service operations, retail operations and for developing special exhibitions. My degrees are in Astrophysics and Communications from Michigan State University. For me, working in a museum provides the ideal opportunity to spread knowledge about the wonders of culture, the wonders of science, and the wonders of the universe — and it keeps me learning, too.
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Jill Berkemeier, Vice President for Finance and Administration & Chief Financial Officer As a Cincinnati native, I grew up in awe of Union Terminal, a National Historic Landmark. Now, I am proud to say that I work there, just another superhero at the Hall of Justice. As a finance leader with over 20 years of professional experience, I’m happy to bring that experience to Cincinnati Museum Center (CMC) and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center (NURFC). I serve as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance and Administration, responsible for financial, accounting and treasury functions, facilities, human resources and administration. In this capacity, I am thrilled to play a critical role in the first full historical restoration of Union Terminal, from the facilitation of the diverse funding sources, including county sales tax levy, federal and state historic tax credits, state grants and private philanthropic gifts, to the management of the project budget and timeline while ensuring compliance with all federal, state and local requirements in collaboration with leadership, Boards, owners’ representative, construction manager, architects, government administration (federal, state and local), various banks and community partners. Prior to joining CMC, I held the top financial role with Global Novations, LLC. I successfully managed the completion and integration of three acquisitions, which led to an exit strategy that resulted in the acquisition of Global Novations by Korn/Ferry International. During this time, I implemented new systems and processes to form the backbone of the business while providing improved financial and operational data to improve results and facilitate growth. Throughout each acquisition, I integrated the business model from a finance and accounting perspective, as well as the operating business model which included human resources, legal, technology infrastructure and systems, pricing structure, business processes and related impacts to sales and client teams. Prior to that, I held the Director of Financial Analysis position at CBS Personnel, where I focused on budgets, analysis, acquisitions, financing and due diligence; Assistant Controller at Service America; Internal Auditor at the Chemed Corporation and Staff Accountant with concentration on audits and corporate taxes at VonLehman & Co. I graduated from Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy and Associate of Arts in Business Administration. I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) and hold an AICPA Not-for-Profit Certificate: Core Concepts. My passion for accounting continues by serving as an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Kentucky Society of Certified Public Accountants. |
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Whitney A. Owens, Chief Learning Officer An Ohio native, I have spent nearly 20 years in informal science education, creating dynamic visitor experiences to engage and inspire audiences of all ages. From creating compelling stories and learning experiences at The Field Museum in Chicago to leading public, school and out-of-school-time programs as Vice President of Education & Guest Experience at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, I have helped lead institutions through periods of transformation and growth that guide them to be more relevant, responsive and exciting places within their communities. In Cleveland, I increased educational interactions by 51%, founded an award-winning teen program and created fresh initiatives to reach new and underserved audiences, enhance strategic partnerships and amplify the Science Center’s value to its community. Most recently as a global Noyce Foundation Leadership Fellow, I dug deeply into community engagement, leading a major initiative to bring together the Maker and Manufacturing fields in Northeast Ohio and connect kids to STEM where it lives in their community. During my time away from Ohio, I have held positions with the Natural History Museum of London, Kansas City’s Science City at Union Station and Sprint.
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Sabrina Ragan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and President of the Cincinnati Museums Foundation I grew up in Cincinnati and I have always enjoyed exploring what Cincinnati Museum Center has to offer. Now I am very fortunate to utilize my 15 years of philanthropic fundraising experience in service of the museum. I spent 13 years in development at The Ohio State University, most recently as the Chief Development Officer for the College of Medicine. During that time, I developed and implemented complex annual marketing campaigns, personally obtained and stewarded generous gifts from individual donors and managed a team through a campaign. I graduated from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, with a degree in marine biology, a decision likely influenced by my childhood visiting the Museum of Natural History on Gilbert Avenue. Working at Cincinnati Museum Center continues to foster my lifelong curiosity in both history and science. I am proud to be a part of a place that is creative in preserving our past, while using history and science to challenge our understanding of today for the future.
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Dion Brown, President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center He brings a wealth of museum, management and branding experience to the position. Brown was the founding executive director of the National Blues Museum from June 2015–February 2018. He helped the start-up grow and flourish, gaining recognition from CNN, National Geographic and the New York Post as a “must see” museum. His previous role was as executive director of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi. While museum programming, tours, and attendance greatly expanded under Brown’s leadership, he simultaneously raised funds, balanced the organization’s budget and positioned the organization as a viable business and a strong community resource and champion. In 2013 he was recognized by the Delta Business Journal as one of its “Top Minority Business Leaders.” Prior to his leadership at the BB King Museum, Brown served as the chief operating officer for Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas. He directed a staff of more than 70 people, and managed the day-to-day operations of the museum and its $5 million budget. Brown holds a certificate of fundraising from the IUPUI School of Philanthropy, a bachelor’s of science in human resources and a master’s of science in leadership from Southwestern College. He is also retired from the United States Air Force after 21 years of service. |
