Denver-Bound

As a few of you have heard, next month I will be moving my life from the San Francisco Bay area to Denver, Colorado to take on the role of vice president of research and collections at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I am thrilled to be joining the DMNS, one of the top-ranked natural history museums in the country. At this pivotal moment in human history, museums of natural history have great potential to help heal the divide that separates humans from nature, and the DMNS is poised to take a leading role.

I have been serving on the DMNS board of trustees for a couple of years now, and thus have had a chance to get to know this remarkable institution and its leadership. The Museum has already committed itself to moving beyond the 19^th Century “cabinets of curiosities” approach. Rather than being simply a destination where people go to see old stuff and absorb information, the revolutionary new way of thinking entails two-way interactions with the community, and a much higher degree of relevance.  

When my good friend Kirk Johnson departed the VP role at the DMNS to take on the directorship of the Smithonsian Natural History Museum, he suggested that a move to Denver might be just the ticket, allowing me to pursue my passion of connecting people with nature. I came to agree wholeheartedly, and am honored that the Museum has chosen to bring me into their fold. Fortunately, along with heading up the research division, joining a talented leadership team, and working with the local community, I’ll have the opportunity to keep doing some dinosaur research and media work like Dinosaur Train.

So all in all, it’s a dream job for a kid who never quite grew up!

I hope to see you all in Denver as the DMNS embraces novel, exciting, and revolutionary ways to explore and reconnect people with the natural world!

(Note that the DMNS logo is a whirlpool of sorts. Coincidence?)

Top image Credit: dbetoday.com