The Superior Public Museums (SPM) Board of Directors is excited to announce that Mrs. Megan Meyer has been selected as the new Executive Director of the Superior Public Museums organization. SPM is the non-profit organization that works to operate, preserve, and restore Fairlawn Mansion, the SS Meteor Whaleback Ship, and the Old Firehouse and Police Museum in Superior. Meyer began her new role in late October.
Meyer has a degree in Recreation Management from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Prior to moving to the Twin Ports, she spent more than 12 years working in municipal parks and recreation throughout Wisconsin. Most recently Meyer held the position of Special Events Coordinator at the Lake Superior Zoo. Her breadth of professional experience includes staff management, membership development, fundraising, facility maintenance, budgeting, and program/event planning. While in Middleton, she received the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association Young Professional of the Year, and the community was a finalist for the National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal Award.
While Meyer is new to her role as Executive Director of the non-profit organization, she is no stranger to the SPM sites. When Meyer first moved to Superior in 2015, the very first place she visited was Fairlawn Mansion. She immediately felt drawn to the historic mansion. After settling in, Meyer quickly became involved with SPM, finally giving her the opportunity to pursue her love of history. Meyer started as a volunteer with SPM and eventually became employed as tour guide. Meyer has been a volunteer organizer for the popular Fairlawn Mansion Ice Cream Social event for several years. Each summer, the Ice Cream Social draws thousands of visitors to the historic home.
“Megan has a wealth of experience with managing staff, fundraising, facilities maintenance, and coordinating large, well-attended events. Those are vital skills for running the organization,” SPM Board President Katelyn Baumann said. “It’s an added bonus that Megan is already so familiar and invested in the Superior Public Museums organization. The board is really looking forward to the positive impact Megan will have.”
Meyer’s initial goal is to work with the Board of Directors to lead a strategic planning process to capture the vision of SPM for the coming 3, 5, and 10 years. Some of her first tasks include improving the SPM website and social media presence to incorporate more public interaction, generate more memberships, and continue to preserve the city’s rich and captivating history.
Some of her future goals include making the museums more accessible off-site. Potential ideas include traveling exhibits, being visible at more community events, and increasing interactive ways to learn about our history for those who may not be able to travel the floors of Fairlawn and tight quarters of the SS Meteor. Because the Old Firehouse and Police Museum and SS Meteor have short tour seasons, Meyer hopes to increase the number of activities that are held at those sites with the hopes of increased exposure for the sites.
The SPM Board of Directors launched an extensive review and assessment process in July 2018 in search of a new Executive Director. The search committee weighed many factors, including the fit between SPM priorities and each candidate’s qualifications and experience. Each candidate presented unique strengths, and each received careful and thoughtful consideration. As the committee worked through the interview process, it became very clear that Meyer was the perfect fit for the position.
“Megan has the passion, determination, vision, and necessary experience to lead Superior Public Museums, and we are eager to work with Megan to continue to move forward the mission of SPM to promote and preserve our community’s rich and captivating history,” Baumann said.
Megan currently serves on the Board for Superior Young Professionals and is an active member of the Superior Jaycee’s. She is also a graduate of Superior/Douglas County Leadership Program. She moved to the area with her husband three years ago and they are the proud parents of a six-month old son. In her free time, Meyer enjoys traveling and exploring historic places and cheering for the Packers, Badgers, and St. Louis Cardinals.
