TAMPA, Fla. — There's a new face at the helm of the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Tampa.
John Graydon Smith will step into the role of president and CEO for MOSI following its national search that began in the summer of 2021. Smith, who is noted as a veteran of the museum and non-profit industries, will be relocating to the Tampa Bay area from Pennsylvania.
According to a press release, Smith is contracted with MOSI through 2025.
“We are thrilled to have a leader with the experience and museum knowledge John brings to MOSI. He has a grand vision, and the leadership skills to help us make it a reality," Chair of the MOSI Board of Directors Bret Feldman said in a statement.
Smith is said to have a "track-record in museum circles" as a business leader with experience in the area of turnarounds. MOSI says its board gravitated toward that style of leadership given the toll COVID-19 took on its business.
Prior to joining the MOSI leadership team, Smith led the Children's Museum of Science and Technology in New York and oversaw the "rejuvenation" of the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania.
“Having first visited MOSI in 2008 and seeing what could be accomplished here back then, I know how impactful a world-class science center can be to a community like Tampa. The opportunity to lead MOSI is something that I should have pursued nearly a decade ago, but I’m thankful that the timing worked out now, so that we can begin to deliver on our mission for another generation of children and their families, which will rebuild MOSI’s position in the community once again," Smith said in a statement.
Smith replaces Julian Mackenzie who retired as CEO in 2021.
