Vermont Business Magazine The ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain Board of Directors is excited to announce educator and non-profit leader, Ted Lawson as the museum’s next Executive Director following a national search. Lawson’s strong background in science and STEM education as well as his extensive experience leading non-profit organizations makes him especially qualified to take the helm at this time.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors we are thrilled to welcome Ted and his family to Vermont,” said Kristin Carlson, Chair. ECHO exists to inspire, educate and connect our community with our most cherished natural resource: Lake Champlain and its surrounding ecosystem. Ted’s skills are aligned with this mission, and we are excited to see ECHO thrive in the years to come.”
For more than a decade, Lawson was a middle and high school science teacher in Maine, Massachusetts, and at the American Embassy School in India. His love for sailing and passion for ecology brought him to the Duxbury Bay Maritime School in Duxbury, Massachusetts.
As Executive Director, Lawson led them through a successful $5million capital campaign. Through his leadership, they secured a $1million grant from the Massachusetts Seaport Economic Council, and Lawson oversaw educational and recreational programs that connect thousands of people to Duxbury Bay.
After steering the Duxbury Bay Maritime School through the first year of the Covid pandemic, Lawson, his wife, and three children, fulfilled a longtime dream and went on a two-year adventure, sailing halfway around the world on a sailboat.
Lawson said, “As a family, we had front row seats to absolutely unbelievable adventures in the natural world, which reinforced not only how incredible this planet is, but also how important it is to continue to work to protect it. ECHO’s important work in science and environmental education immediately aligned with my passions. We are excited to make Vermont our home and are eager for adventures in the forests, lakes, and ecosystems of the Green Mountains.”
Lawson will begin his new position on July 3rd.
About ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain is an innovative science and nature museum located on the Burlington Waterfront. Open daily, ECHO encourages visitors to view the natural environment as part of their neighborhood and to explore, learn about, and consider opportunities for stewardship. 2024 will mark ECHO’s 30 years of teaching more than 3 million visitors about the role of science in our culture and lives. ECHO leverages its unique setting to inspire and engage families in the joy of scientific discovery, wonder of nature, and care of Lake Champlain. Visitors explore over 100 interactive family experiences, 70 live species, seasonal changing exhibits, and our Northfield Savings Bank immersive 3D Theater. New in 2020, ECHO has been reinvented by all new permanent and highly interactive science exhibits, Awesome Forces and Engineer It. Visitors of all ages tackle daily engineering challenges at our tinkering bench and test zones as well as delight in discovering the amazing processes that have shaped the Lake Champlain Basin and our Earth. To learn more about ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, visit: https://www.echovermont.org/
Source: 6.26.2023. Burlington, VT - The ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain
