Museum Executive Director

Position Summary

The Whatcom Museum Executive Director (Executive Director), serving also as the Chief Executive Officer for the Whatcom Museum Foundation’s Board of Trustees, will provide strategic leadership in planning, organizing, and directing all operations and activities of the Whatcom Museum (the Museum). In coordination with other City departments and the Foundation Board, the Executive Director will be responsible for overseeing the Museum’s financial health and sustainability;

managing physical facilities and assets; ensuring effective and secure use of data systems; and developing and maintaining an effective workforce and culture of organizational excellence. The Executive Director will be a member of the City’s leadership team, collaborating with the Mayor of Bellingham and other City departments to align strategy, policy, and shared operations with the City’s critical objectives, vision, and values, ensuring the Museum is a vital cultural and educational resource for the community.

The Executive Director will work independently, with general guidance from the Whatcom Museum Foundation’s Board of Trustees, to ensure proper prioritization of institutional goals to maximize the effectiveness of the museum’s operations for the good of the community, in alignment with broader goals as set forth by the City of Bellingham Mayor and City Council.

The Whatcom Museum Executive Director will be responsible for shaping the Museum’s vision, enhancing its role in the community, and overseeing strategic planning and all day-to-day operations of the multi-facility campus. The Executive Director is an employee of the Whatcom Museum Foundation, reporting to the Foundation’s Board of Directors and is the Chief Executive Officer for the foundation’s Board of Trustees.

The leadership team includes the chief curator, director of exhibitions, controller, development director, director of collections & operations, and director of marketing & public relations. Additional employees include docents, interns, part‑time visitor attendants, story associates, and Family Interactive Gallery associates. Of the 25 total employees, four are City employees, the remainder are foundation employees. The foundation is currently negotiating its first union contract with Teamsters Local 231.

The Whatcom Museum includes a three‑building campus in Bellingham’s downtown arts district and houses a collection of more than 250,000 artifacts and artworks of regional and national importance, including a vast photographic archive. Centered around the historic Old City Hall—iconic with its clock tower—and the nearby Lightcatcher building—featuring a translucent wall of sunlight—the Museum plays a central role in the city’s arts and culture scene.

The Museum’s mission is to serve as a bridge among diverse people, ideas, and traditions by fostering curiosity and joy about the world, through exhibitions, events, educational programs, and collections reflective of the art, nature, Indigenous cultures, and history of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. It is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, a member of the American Association for State and Local History, and a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate.

The original building, Old City Hall, is a National Register of Historic Places landmark, housed exhibitions and many popular programs. Upcoming 2026 exhibitions include Vivid Victorian, featuring restored Victorian dress, and Painted Forest, featuring ancient petrified wood.

The Lightcatcher building, a 42,000‑sq‑ft LEED Silver‑level structure, holds the bulk of the collections and hosts rotating art exhibitions, the People of the Sea and Cedar gallery, a Family Interactive Gallery, an arts studio/classroom, a research library, a gift shop, and an outdoor courtyard. Current highlights include Verdant:
French Masterworks from the National Gallery of Art and the nationally touring Personal to Political exhibition featuring 17 African American artists. 2026 plans also include updates to People of the Sea and Cedar and a series of collection exhibitions such as Hard Edge, Soft Ground.

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