Boston Children’s Museum Ceo Carole Charnow To Retire From Next Year After Transformative Leadership In Education, Growth And Community Impact

Published on October 1, 2025

President & CEO of nan Boston Children’s Museum Carole Charnow has announced she will beryllium retiring successful August 2026 aft an unthinkable 15 years successful office. At nan clip of her retirement, Charnow will person nan nickname of President Emerita, making her nan second-longest tenure president successful nan Museum’s 112-year history. Her activity has had a profound power connected nan Museum, some successful nan breadth of its acquisition effect and its financial development, to time off a lasting bequest successful early puerility education.

A Legacy of Innovation successful Early Childhood Education

Under Charnow’s guidance, nan Boston Children’s Museum has go a starring institution successful informal, early puerility education, gaining nickname some nationally and internationally. She championed nan Museum’s ngo to supply acquisition resources and experiences to children, families, and communities, moving pinch schools, libraries, museums, bum shelters, and organization centers crossed Massachusetts and nan United States. Charnow’s committedness to enriching children’s learning experiences has positioned nan Museum arsenic a exemplary for different institutions successful nan section of informal education.

Transformative Leadership and Museum Enhancements

Throughout her tenure, Charnow oversaw respective cardinal improvements to nan Museum’s historical 135-year-old building. This included nan renewal of three imperishable exhibitions and galore different upgrades to heighten nan visitant experience. These changes ensured that nan Museum continued to service its ngo arsenic a vibrant, interactive destination for more than 450,000 visitors annually, providing opportunities for children and families to prosecute pinch learning successful creative, hands-on ways.

Financial Growth and Strategic Campaigns Under Charnow’s Leadership

Charnow’s activity has been instrumental successful bringing nan strongest financial period successful nan Museum’s history. During her 15 years arsenic CEO, nan Museum raised much than $75 million done two awesome fundraising campaigns, helping to money some programmatic initiatives and capital improvements. One of nan standout achievements during her clip astatine nan Museum was securing $10 million for flood resilience, which will protect nan Museum from nan impacts of climate change and safeguard its early arsenic a community resource.

Additionally, Charnow’s activity helped nan Museum retire two-thirds of its debt and double its endowment, providing a much unafraid financial instauration for nan institution’s ongoing activity and ensuring its expertise to service early generations.

Charnow’s Gratitude and Vision for nan Future

In her statement, Charnow expressed her profound appreciation for nan unit and committee who supported nan Museum’s growth and success during her tenure: “It has been nan top grant to lead Boston Children’s Museum these past 15 years. I americium truthful grateful to nan outstanding unit and Board, who person ensured that nan Museum has stayed vibrant, relevant, and financially sound. I americium thankful to nan galore individuals, foundations, and corporations who person supported nan Museum complete truthful galore years.”

Charnow besides emphasized her committedness to ensuring a soft modulation arsenic she useful pinch nan adjacent leader to proceed nan Museum’s captious activity successful nan community. She added, “I look guardant to moving pinch nan adjacent leader to guarantee that nan Museum continues successful its critically important work to nan organization agelong into nan future.”

The Museum’s Growth and Continued Impact

During Charnow’s leadership, nan Boston Children’s Museum not only enhanced its acquisition programs but besides cemented its spot arsenic a captious taste institution. Her activity focused connected financial sustainability, community outreach, and educational excellence, ensuring that nan Museum remained a move unit successful early puerility education. With innovative exhibits and community-centered programs, nan Museum has been capable to service children and families successful a meaningful way, providing a abstraction wherever creativity, learning, and nosy travel together.

Looking Ahead: Ensuring nan Museum’s Legacy

As Charnow prepares for her retirement, nan Museum is group to proceed its bequest nether caller leadership, ensuring that its mission of early puerility education and community engagement remains astatine nan forefront. The occurrence of nan campaigns and initiatives started nether Charnow’s guidance will supply a beardown instauration for nan early of nan Boston Children’s Museum. With nan financial wellness of nan institution secure, nan Museum is well-positioned to accommodate and germinate successful nan years to come.

Carole Charnow’s Impact connected nan Boston Children’s Museum

Carole Charnow’s achievements for nan Boston Children’s Museum during nan past 15 years show her visionary guidance and unshakeable committedness to delivering high-quality acquisition for children. As she retires successful 2026, Charnow’s estimation will beryllium hailed not conscionable for financial and organizational achievements but besides for her dedication to ensuring creativity, education, and improvement for generations to come. With her astatine nan helm, nan Boston Children’s Museum has been a cornerstone of nan organization and awesome of learning excellence, well-positioned to support shaping children’s lives and nan lives of families worldwide.