Minnesota Children's Museum

After 16 incredible years of leadership, Minnesota Children’s Museum President Dianne Krizan, MPA has announced that she will retire next June. Dianne has helped shape the museum into the vibrant, welcoming place families know and love today. Since joining the museum in 2010, her impact has been felt in every corner of our organization. Most importantly, her leadership has helped millions of children and families experience the power of play. During her tenure, more than six million visitors have walked through our doors, creating joyful memories while learning and growing together. We’re deeply grateful for everything Dianne has done for Minnesota Children’s Museum and the community we serve, and look forward to one final year under her guidance. Read the full press release to learn more about Dianne’s remarkable career, her impact on Minnesota Children’s Museum and the legacy she leaves for generations of children and families. https://lnkd.in/g8XbrV-P

We are thrilled to officially welcome the newly elected members of our Board of Directors! Please join us in celebrating Cody Griggs, Amber Hedlund, Kathryn Kostka, Kareem Meliani, Ashley Merrill, Gregory Ogunsanya, Vineeta Sawkar, Vanessa Slots and Andy Thesing. We are incredibly grateful to have your expertise and passion in our corner, and we look forward to working together to further spark children's learning through play. As we embark on this exciting new chapter, we also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our outgoing board members for their phenomenal leadership and support. Thank you to Beth Cummings, Dexter D., Mark Hubler, Julie Joyce, James Mancini, Scott Peterson, EMBA, Elisa Rasmussen, Kimberlee Sinclair and Andrew Zinkel, MD, MBA. Your dedication has left a lasting impact on our organization, and we wish you all the very best.

Minnesota Children’s Museum is hiring a Director of People & Culture! This is a key leadership role that will help guide how we support, grow and engage the incredible people who bring our mission to life every day. This is an opportunity for a strategic, people-focused HR leader who loves building connections, developing talent, and creating an environment where employees can thrive. If you’re passionate about people, culture and making a difference, we want to hear from you! Learn more and apply: https://lnkd.in/gSwu4ETX #hiring #jobs #twincitiesjobs #museumjobs #hrjobs #peopleandculture

Please join us in celebrating Senior Exhibit Developer Mary Weiland, who is retiring after 28 incredible years with the museum! Mary joined the museum in 1998 and has had such an impact on hundreds of thousands of visitors during her time here. When asked what some of her favorite projects have been over the years, she noted the World Works Warehouse, the Clifford traveling exhibit, working with St. Paul's West Side neighborhood to redo the (old) Our World exhibit, developing the museum's permanent exhibit, Shipwreck Adventures and our most recent special exhibits Game On! and Monsters on Vacation. Congratulations, Mary, and thanks for all you have done! We will miss you greatly.

Thank you to the hundreds of supporters that celebrated play during our annual fundraising event a few weeks ago! Whether you bought a ticket, bid on an auction item or donated, your support is appreciated. Thank you! Donations create incredible learning opportunities for children and provide safe and welcoming space for all. It’s not too late to make a gift that will count toward the total raised at the event. Visit https://lnkd.in/gutV9BXZ to make your gift now, and thank you again.

The museum will be closed this Friday, May 8, so we can set up for our annual Play-a-Palooza fundraising gala event. We will reopen on Saturday, May 9, at 9am. If you're interested in attending the gala or bidding in the auction, head to www.mcm.org/playapalooza to learn more!

If you can't make it to our Play-a-Palooza on May 8, please consider making a donation now to help us reach our goal. Play-a-Palooza is our largest and most important fundraising event of the year. All proceeds directly support the museum's ability to continue inspiring kids to grow and learn through play. Your donation will help us support families for many years to come! Visit www.mcm.org/playapalooza to make your donation now.

Our Play-a-Palooza silent auction is officially open! This is your chance to bid on dozens of one-of-a-kind items like a spinning chair, just like the ones at the museum, kitten cuddle party, Champions Club Tickets to a Minnesota Twins Game and much more. Your bids help us bring the power of play to even more families across the state. The silent auction closes at 8pm on Friday, May 8. Visit www.mcm.org/playapalooza to see the full list of auction items and start bidding!

With a little over a week until our big Play-a-Palooza fundraising event, we want to send a huge thank you to all of our gala sponsors. An extra special thank you to our Play Leader sponsor Beckman Coulter Life Sciences and our Play Builder sponsor Best Buy. This event wouldn't be possible without their generous support. It's not too late to get your tickets to Play-a-Palooza or make a donation in support of playful learning. Visit www.mcm.org/playapalooza for details.

There's still time to get your tickets for Play-a-Palooza, our biggest (and best) event of the year! Join us for a night of delicious food and drink, fantastic auction items, an arcade-themed afterparty and loads of fun and play... all for a great cause! Head to www.mcm.org/playapalooza for tickets and details. Can't make it? Support the play by making a donation!