ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center’s Director of Education, Molly Loomis, joined 16 other colleagues from around the world in receiving a year-long fellowship from the Noyce Leadership Institute. The fellowships were awarded to individuals representing ten institutions in the U.S. as well as several in the U.K., and one each in Austria, Germany and Canada.
“This is an enormous opportunity for ECHO”, said ECHO Executive Director Phelan Fretz. “Through this fellowship we will have access to the ideas and energy of leaders across a broad spectrum of institutions, while receiving exceptional training in the areas of leadership, facilitation, implementation and strategic planning. All of this will help to make ECHO a stronger institution especially in the areas of delivering our mission to an increasingly diverse audience”.
Through their NLI Fellowship experience, 17 senior-level and chief executives from science centers, children’s museums, natural history museums, and other related institutions that focus on public engagement with science, will gain access to knowledge, tools, promising practices, and professional networks that increase their capacity to lead effectively and to advance innovation in their own institutions, in their home communities, and in the broader field. These remarkable leaders were selected because they are well-positioned to influence others, manage change, and make an impact on their institutions and communities.
ECHO’s specific focus as part of this program will be on building a strategy for community engagement that draws on the cultural resources of in the Burlington area to create relevant programs, partnerships and practices with the community.
“The NLI Fellowship will help to prepare the next generation of leaders to extend the impact of science centers and museums deeper into their local communities and to increase understanding and excitement about science,” said Dr. Geno Schnell, NLI program director.
The Noyce Leadership Institute’s fellowships are geared toward increasing the public impact of science centers, museums, and related institutions. The Noyce Leadership Institute (NLI), in partnership with the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), the European Network of Science Centers and Museums (ecsite), and the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), and with funding from the Noyce Foundation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, brings together leaders in informal science education from around the world to act as change agents at the crossroads of societal trends, global issues, and the cutting edge of science.
The 2013–2014 Noyce Leadership Fellows were selected through a competitive process by a committee composed of professionals representing the fields of informal science education and executive leadership. The Fellowship program provides an action-learning framework via a mix of face-to-face sessions, executive coaching, peer learning, audio conferencing, and other learning strategies over a year, followed by ongoing Fellow alumni activities.
The Institute bears the name of Robert Noyce, co-founder of Intel and inventor of the integrated circuit. His work in leading science, engineering, and technology to a whole new level of innovation — as well as the creation of new industries — is legendary. Known for his integrity, authenticity, character, inclusiveness, and continuous innovation, Noyce’s legacy continues to serve as a standard for leaders today.
