In her new office, the first thing Discovery Place Director Catherine Wilson Horne unpacked was a red horseshoe magnet, a device emblematic of the Charlotte science center’s mission and her goal as its president.
“We want to draw people to us, and we want to be drawn to people in the community,” said Horne, who took over Jan. 27 as only the third leader in the institution’s 32-year history.
In a broader sense, the magnet represents the two poles Discovery Place finds itself between today. It weathered the recession as well as or better than any cultural destination in Charlotte, with a strong balance sheet and without dipping into reserves.
But Discovery Place is entering a fragile era in which it must carefully navigate the troubling economic reality besetting other nonprofits – decreased philanthropic donations from traditional sources and a need to keep the turnstiles whirling.
State support for the museum’s educational math and science initiatives to students in the region has fallen by about half to $261,000 and operating and programming grants from the Arts Science Council have fallen a third to about $1 million.
Horne will need to lead the center to
Article source: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/02/02/4659086/new-leader-new-challenges-arrive.html If you need a cheap air ticket, hotel or rental car please visit http://www.airticket.com
