New Leadership At CMOO Ready To Bring Museum Into Its Next Phase

OSWEGO – The Children’s Museum of Oswego’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce Kathryn Watson as the museum’s next Executive Director.

Watson has been with CMOO since the beginning of 2019, first as Director of Education, and then Director of Education and Operations. She will succeed Jillian Shaver who is moving on after eight years of service to CMOO.

Shaver, along with countless volunteers, donors, community members, government officials and board members, brought CMOO from a mobile museum into the world class children’s museum it is today.

Watson comes to the role with over seven years of experience working in cultural institutions across the Northeast. She holds an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and was the driving force behind the launch of CMOO’s educational programming, outreach, and community partnerships over the past two and a half years.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Kathryn from her start at the museum and got to see firsthand how well she not only fit the mission of the museum but strived to achieve and expand those goals” said CMOO Board of Directors President, Eric Van Buren. “Running a hands-on children’s museum during a pandemic is no small task but Kathryn and her team met the challenge head on and provided our guests with much needed play time in a safe environment. I have no doubts CMOO is in capable hands with her at the forefront.”

Van Buren, who joined the board in 2015, has been CMOO’s board president since the summer of 2020. Along with Watson, who served as Pandemic Health and Safety Coordinator, he guided the museum through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the pandemic beginning to wind down the future looks bright. We are now able to be open at 100% capacity,” Van Buren said. “We are booking birthday parties and field trips again, have relaunched the mobile museum and our staff has partnered with researchers at SUNY Oswego on multiple grant applications.”

“I appreciate the board’s confidence in me, and I am excited to have the opportunity to lead CMOO,” Watson said. “It has been an incredible experience to be a part of building this museum from the ground up and I look forward to this next phase. Doubling down on community engagement, expanding our offerings, and continuing to serve as a resource for children and families across the region are all high priorities for the museum.”

As executive director Watson will work closely with the CMOO board and staff to ensure the museum remains the resource that it is today. So far in 2021 CMOO has drawn visitors to Oswego from across New York State, and seen strong admission numbers, despite requiring reservations for much of the winter and spring.

With pandemic-related restrictions easing in New York State, CMOO no longer requires reservations and is now back to all day hours, open Tuesday through Friday 9:00-4:00, Saturday 10:00-5:00 and Sunday 10:00-4:00. CMOO is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and relies on community support, volunteers, and donations. To learn more about the museum visit www.cmoo.org.

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