Boston Children’s Museum Announces the Retirement of President & CEO Carole Charnow
Esteemed Cultural Visionary Prepares to Pass the Torch at Cherished Boston Institution Next Summer
BOSTON, MA—September 30, 2025 — Boston Children’s Museum has announced that President & CEO Carole Charnow will retire in August 2026, at which point she will become the second-longest serving President in the Museum’s 112-year history. Upon her retirement, Charnow will be honored with the title of President Emerita.
With Charnow’s guidance, Boston Children’s Museum has become a leader in informal, early education both nationally and internationally. The institution has provided resources to schools, libraries, museums, homeless shelters, and community centers throughout Massachusetts and the United States. Her leadership oversaw the renovation of three permanent exhibitions and numerous improvements to the Museum’s 135-year-old building, ensuring its legacy as a destination for more than 450,000 annual visitors.
During her fifteen-year tenure, Charnow presided over Boston Children’s Museum’s strongest financial period in its history. Under her visionary leadership, the Museum has raised over $75M in two major campaigns, in addition to several significant programmatic and capital grants, including $10M for flood resilience, which will protect the Museum from the threat of climate change. Charnow has also retired two thirds of the Museum’s debt and doubled the Museum’s endowment.
“It has been the greatest honor to lead Boston Children’s Museum these past fifteen years. I am so grateful to the outstanding staff and Board, who have ensured that the Museum has stayed vibrant, relevant, and financially sound,” said Carole Charnow, President & CEO. “I am thankful to the many individuals, foundations, and corporations who have supported the Museum over so many years. I look forward to working with the next leader to ensure that the Museum continues in its critically important service to the community long into the future.”
Charnow’s significant achievements and initiatives as President and CEO include:
• Working closely with Mayor Michelle Wu and other Museum leaders, Charnow and her team were founders of Boston Family Days, a free admission program for Boston school children and their families.
• The Museum’s recent efforts to combat sea-level rise have resulted in an imaginative resilience masterplan described by civic leaders as an innovative example of how institutions can protect their property and neighborhood, while providing engaging and educational opportunities for their communities. Construction will begin this Fall on Phase 1 of the plan.
• The Museum was awarded the IMLS National Medal, the nation’s highest honor conferred on museums for extraordinary service to the community, presented by First Lady, Michelle Obama, at the White House in 2013.
• Alongside then Mayor Martin Walsh and the Richard Family, establishing Martin’s Park adjacent to the Museum, a 1.5-acre, accessible park and playground.
• Founding of the region’s first museum access program for families receiving benefits, the EBT Discount Initiative, now known as the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Card to Culture Program, which is offered in 450 museums and cultural institutions across the state, and was also the model for the nation-wide Museums for All program.
• The Museum’s pioneering new exhibition, You, Me, We, tackles the complex subjects of race, bias and empathy, and won the national American Alliance of Museums Excellence in DEAI Award in 2024.
• The Museum’s groundbreaking program on Religious Literacy is the first for a children’s museum.
• A science and engineering department, encompassing a STEAM lab, multiple grant programs, and curriculum materials which are used in 80 state school districts, programs, and exhibits.
• Other inventive programming included:
o Innovative performing arts program
o BCM Summer Camp
o The Boston Grown-Ups Museum
o Imaginative program of special events such as the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh Experience, the Snowmazing winter festival, the Halloween Spooktacular, and…
o Annual Wonder Ball Fundraiser, which has raised millions of dollars for the Museum’s free and discounted admissions, making up over a third of their visitation each year.
“Carole’s leadership has been nothing short of transformational for Boston Children’s Museum. She has guided the organization through a period of remarkable success and achievement. She combined vision with stewardship, ensuring that the Museum is not only stronger financially but also more deeply connected to the children and families we serve,” said David Healy, Chair of the Board. “Carole has strengthened the Museum’s role as a national leader in early education and community engagement, and her positive impact can be seen in the joyful experiences of children at play in the Museum, in our community programs, and through the work of our exceptional team. The Board is deeply grateful for her extraordinary leadership and lasting contributions.”
Prior to her appointment as President & CEO of Boston Children’s Museum, Charnow led cultural and educational non-profits in the US and the UK and was the founder and General Director of Opera Boston, where she produced 50 original opera productions at the Cutler Majestic Theatre, including the world premiere of Madame White Snake, which she commissioned. The opera was jointly produced with the Beijing Music Festival and toured to China in the fall of 2010. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2011, the first Pulitzer for an opera in 49 years.
As a 30-year active leader in the Boston Cultural Community, Charnow was a co-founder with Kara Elliott-Ortega and David Howse of the Boston Cultural Leaders Coalition. She is a member of the Community Services Board of the Dimock Health Center in Roxbury, serves as Vice Chair of the Boston Arts Academy Board, and is on the Board of the American Alliance of Museums. She serves as Vice Chair of both the Green Ribbon Commission Cultural Working Group and the Boston Chamber of Commerce Climate and Energy Committee. She is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Non-Profit Practice and was named a Barr Fellow in the class of 2015. Charnow is a recipient of the Emerson College Distinguished Alumni Award, the Berklee College Urban Service Award, the New England Museum Association Excellence Award, the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award, and this Fall, will receive the 2025 Norman B. Leventhal Distinguished Leadership Award in December.
With a deep commitment to the children and families of Greater Boston and beyond, Charnow will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Museum following her retirement and will continue to support and advocate for the education and arts and culture sectors in Boston. Her contributions to the Museum, performing arts, and the city will be celebrated at a gala on May 2, 2026.
The Museum’s Board of Trustees will initiate a search for Charnow’s successor in Fall 2025.
About Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children’s Museum engages children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning. More information about Boston Children’s Museum can be found at www.BostonChildrensMuseum.org Like us on Facebook and find us on Instagram
Hours and Admission
The Museum is open Wednesday–Monday (Closed Tuesday) from 9:00am–4:00pm. Advance tickets/reservations are highly recommended, especially during weekends, holidays, and school vacation weeks. Adults, $24, children (1-15) and senior citizens, $24; children under 12 months and Museum members are always free.
