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 includes a three‑building campus in Bellingham’s growing 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—with its iconic clock tower visible throughout downtown—and the nearby Light catcher building—featuring a spectacular, translucent wall designed to catch sunlight—the Whatcom Museum plays a central and visible role in Bellingham’s vibrant 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 our world, through exhibitions, events, educational programs, and collections reflective of the art, nature, Indigenous cultures, and history of the Pacific Northwest region and beyond. The Museum is operated by the Whatcom Museum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Serving the local community as a regional destination, it is accredited nationally by the American Alliance of Museums, is a member of the American Association for State and Local History, and is a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate.

The Whatcom Museum Foundation Board of Trustees has 10 to 15 voting members, which includes Mayoral appointees. In addition, a City Council Representative and a Whatcom Museum Tribal Liaison sit on the board as ex‑officio members. For the 2025 fiscal year, the Museum projects approximately $1.83 million in revenue, 34% of which is funded through the City of Bellingham and Lodging Tax, and $256,600 from endowment support.

The Museum’s original building is the beloved Old City Hall— the first site in the state of Washington to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic building, with its Victorian cupolas and central clock tower, is an iconic symbol for the City of Bellingham, beloved by the community. Old City Hall is programmed with exhibitions and remains the site for many of the museum’s most popular programs.

Exhibitions opening in Old City Hall in 2026 include Vivid Victorian, featuring a dozen recently‑restored examples of Victorian dress from the Whatcom Museum Collection, paired with photographs from the Photo Archives illustrating the variety of colors and styles typical of the era; as well as Painted Forest:
The Science and Beauty of Petrified Wood, featuring the Rice Museum’s collection of ancient specimens.

The Museum’s modern building, the Light catcher building, is named for its focal point and most innovative feature: a 36‑foot‑tall, 180‑foot‑long translucent wall that acts as a spine connecting the building and its spaces. It originated as an international design competition, was designed by Olson Kundig Architects’…