Executive Director

Executive Director

The Concord Museum

Concord, Massachusetts

 

The Concord Museum seeks a strategic, collaborative, inclusive, and imaginative leader to serve as its next Executive Director. This is a unique opportunity to lead a nationally recognized, place-based institution at a moment of extraordinary momentum—marked by capital investments, curatorial innovation, expanded educational and public programming, and growing national visibility.

 

The Executive Director will advance the Museum’s mission, ensure its financial sustainability, steward its collections and programs, and deepen its role as a civic and cultural anchor. They will work closely with the Board of Governors, Trustees, staff, volunteers, and community partners to ensure the Museum is fiscally sound, programmatically vibrant, inclusive in its storytelling and engagement, and increasingly visible to broader audiences. The next leader will also focus on attracting first-time and returning visitors and strengthening the Museum’s presence as a destination for learning, reflection, and community connection.

 

Named the #1 “Best Small Town Museum” by USA TODAY in 2025, the Concord Museum is a nationally recognized institution that brings Concord’s rich history to life. Founded in 1886 in the heart of a town central to the American Revolution and home to Emerson, Alcott, and Thoreau, the Museum connects past to present—illuminating the ideas, struggles, and values that continue to shape American life.

 

Home to over 45,000 objects, the Concord Museum houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of American material culture. Highlights include one of the two Old North Church signal lanterns from the night of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, Emerson’s study, and the world’s largest Thoreau collection. Spanning 10,000 years, the collection reflects Concord’s rich cultural, political, and intellectual legacy.

 

The Museum’s collection anchors immersive exhibitions and inclusive programs that explore Concord’s role in shaping democracy, literature, antislavery activism, and innovation. Through authentic objects and interactive experiences, it sparks curiosity and deepens understanding for 45,000+ annual visitors. Programs center multiple perspectives and elevate underrepresented voices.

 

Guided by core values—welcoming, inspirational, excellent, and grounded in integrity—the Concord Museum inspires visitors, educators, and scholars to learn from the past to shape a more inclusive future. A decade of strategic investment and community engagement has ushered in a new chapter, marked by major capital projects like gallery renovations and the 12,900-square-foot Rasmussen Education Center. A transformative $5 million gift in 2024 funded an endowed curatorship, collections care, and digital upgrades.

 

Education is central to the Museum’s mission. School groups visit nearly every weekday—many from under-resourced communities—supported by the Paul Revere’s Ride Fund. The Museum also offers professional development for educators, family programs, and community events. With a $3.5M annual budget and $14M endowment, it is supported by individual giving, earned income, and endowment draw. Governance includes a 26-member Board of Governors, 50+ Trustees, a Guild of Volunteers, and a staff of 30.

 

Recent initiatives reflect the Museum’s growing civic and cultural leadership: a refreshed visual identity, the launch of the Contemporary Leaders program for supporters under 55, and a central role in the nation’s 250th anniversary of the American Revolution through exhibitions, education, and other projects. Additionally, the Concord Museum Forums have become a nationally recognized platform for civic dialogue, livestreamed globally and featuring leading historians, authors, artists, and public thinkers.

The ideal candidate is a warm, strategic, and intellectually curious leader with experience in nonprofit, cultural, or educational settings. They bring a proven ability to expand impact, raise funds, lead teams, and foster inclusive storytelling and community engagement. Museum experience is welcome but not required.

 

To apply or nominate a candidate, visit Isaacson, Miller: www.imsearch.com/open-searches/concord-museum/executive-director

 

Search Team: Rebecca Swartz, Angelo Alexander, and Harley Bartles

 

Concord Museum provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, membership in the uniformed services, veteran status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.