Marie R. B. Beam appointed CEO of Discovery Museum
ACTON, MA – Discovery Museum’s Board of Directors announced the appointment of Marie R. B. Beam as Discovery Museum’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1, 2024. Beam most recently served as the Museum’s Chief Development Officer, a position she held since 2013.
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“Over her nearly ten years of leadership as Chief Development Officer, Marie has demonstrated a deep commitment to and passion for our work and has been a remarkably effective advocate of all that the Museum values. She brings a vision for our future that builds upon Discovery Museum’s many strengths with an eye towards the issues affecting kids and families and how best to support them,” said outgoing board president Harry Hollenberg. “In searching for our next CEO, the Board spent more than six months on a thoughtful, detailed, competitive, and rigorous selection process, resulting in our enthusiastic choice of Marie to lead Discovery Museum. We are very confident in Marie’s ability to position Discovery Museum for continued leadership both in our community and more broadly in the museum field nation-wide.”
Beam replaces outgoing CEO Neil H. Gordon, who retired at the end of 2023 after 14 years leading the Museum. Gordon led the beloved 41-year-old institution through transformative growth, an impactful physical expansion, and tremendous advancement in the depth, breadth, and reach of playful learning experiences serving kids and families throughout Massachusetts.
“In a time when we need more curious and creative problem solvers, Discovery Museum is helping thousands of kids each year to explore their world confidently and recognize their own abilities to make a difference,” said Beam. “It is an honor to be chosen to lead this wonderful organization and its extraordinary staff in its fifth decade of service to the children and families of our region.”
Beam oversaw the $8.8M, five-year Campaign for the Discovery Museum, the institution’s first campaign in 30 years, which funded a complete campus overhaul to create the Discovery Woods outdoor nature playscape and treehouse and a new and expanded museum facility, both of which are fully accessible to people with disabilities and learning differences. She spearheaded fundraising through the COVID-19 pandemic that flipped the Museum’s traditional earned and contributed revenue shares, helping to ensure that all staff were retained during a 4.5-month closure and the Museum could reopen with a month of free admission for all. Beam also conducted the $900K Bridge to the Future Campaign to fund the Museum’s conversion to 100% on-site solar electricity. In addition to campaign fundraising, Beam’s leadership of the Development function effected a nearly 250% increase in Annual Fund giving, which increased from $286K prior to her arrival to more than $1M in 2022.
Before joining Discovery Museum, Beam served as Director of Advancement at Fay School in Southborough, MA, and prior to that held several roles in development at Simmons College in Boston and St. Sebastian’s School in Needham. She is currently a Board Member for the MetroWest Nonprofit Network (MWNN) and has served as an instructor in the MWNN/Framingham State University Certificate in Nonprofit Management program. In 2021, she was nominated by her peers and awarded a New England Museum Association Excellence Award. She earned a B.S./B.A. with Distinction from Simmons College.