Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab

From Newsroom to Nonprofit: How Storytelling Built a Thriving Children's Museum

Jonathan Foerster, CEO of the Golisano Children's Museum of Naples, never planned to run a museum. He started as a journalist chasing stories, then found his way into nonprofits where he discovered that fundraising, leadership, and community building are really just storytelling in disguise. In this episode, Jonathan shares how curiosity became his operating system, why he raised membership prices and grew membership at the same time, how he is future-proofing the museum with an on-site preschool, and what the National Museum of African American History and Culture taught him about what a great museum visit should feel like. Whether you work in nonprofits, museums, or any mission-driven organization, this conversation is packed with honest, practical insight. Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

From Blueprint to Bloom: How A Landscape Architect Transformed A Botanical Garden

What happens when a world-class designer trades global projects for a single desert garden and completely transforms it? In this latest episode of Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab, Jamie Maslyn Larson FASLA, CEO at Tohono Chul, shares her unexpected journey from leading landscape architecture projects across cities like New York and Copenhagen to reimagining a 49-acre botanical garden in Tucson, Arizona. With no prior nonprofit experience, Jamie took a bold, design-driven approach and rethought everything from visitor experience to community access. The result? Attendance nearly doubled, new audiences poured in, and the garden became a vibrant cultural hub for locals. From experimenting with summer night programs to breaking down internal silos and redefining what a public space can be, Jamie offers a candid look at leadership, creativity, and the power of taking risks. If you are interested in museums, botanical gardens, public spaces, or leading change inside complex organizations, this conversation is a masterclass in turning vision into reality. Listen to the latest episode to hear how one leader turned experimentation into impact and brought an entire community back into nature. Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

Running the Numbers on Glass: What 25 Years as a Museum CFO Really Looks Like

What does a museum CFO actually do? Far more than manage budgets. In this episode of the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab, host Antonio Velasco sits down with Dave Togni, Chief Financial Officer of the Corning Museum of Glass [https://home.cmog.org/], to unpack what 25 years in museum finance really looks like. From navigating maritime insurance for a traveling glassblowing barge to developing flame-free technology for artists performing on cruise ships, Dave shares how museum finance extends far beyond spreadsheets, along with lessons from leading through COVID-19 and managing major operational change. The conversation also explores the realities museum leaders face today, including tighter philanthropic markets, reduced international tourism, and the growing importance of marketing and technology investment. Dave shares practical budget benchmarks, insights into board strategy, and why frontline staff may be one of the most overlooked drivers of financial success, offering a candid look at what it takes to sustain and grow a modern museum. Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

Doubling Attendance: Marketing, Mission, and Museum Leadership with Adam Smith

In this episode of Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab, we sit down with Adam Smith, President and CEO of Exploration Place, who has led cultural institutions from the National Museums of Scotland to the Comic-Con Museum. Adam shares how he doubled museum attendance while better managing marketing costs and offers practical strategies that any museum leader can use. Learn how to unlock thousands per month in free advertising, master pricing psychology, build high-performing teams, and create a mission-driven culture. From digital marketing breakthroughs to leadership insights, this conversation is full of actionable ideas to help your museum grow, engage more visitors, and thrive in today’s competitive landscape.   Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.

The Real Business of Museums: A Conversation with Nik Honeysett

Welcome to the premiere episode of Culture Animals: Museum Leadership Lab!  Are you a museum director, department head, or cultural institution leader struggling with operational efficiency, declining attendance, or board pressure to modernize? This conversation is for you.  Antonio Velasco, CEO of Veevart, sits down with Nik Honeysett, CEO of the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC), a nonprofit consultancy specializing in museum digital transformation and strategic planning. A leading voice in museum innovation, Nik has held senior roles at The J. Paul Getty Museum and UK-based CogApp, working with over 140 museums on technology implementation, organizational transformation, and sustainable operations. What we will discuss:  * Why treating "nonprofit" as a mindset (not tax status) is holding museums back.  * The dual obligation every museum owes its community (social AND financial). * How to unlock a full FTE of productivity through better systems. * Why disconnected systems are killing your revenue and efficiency. * The 3-phase innovation roadmap: Efficiency → Sustaining → Growth. * How the Bovington Tank Museum generates £3M in digital revenue. * Leadership principles that separate thriving museums from struggling ones. * Why you should hire people smarter than you (and how to do it). * How to gain board buy-in for technology investments. * AI strategy for museums: policy first, platform second. * The real definition of museum success (it's not what you think). Thank you for joining us on this journey and being part of today's conversation. If this episode inspired you or made you curious to learn more, please like and subscribe to the Cultural Animals: Museum Leadership Lab podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Don't forget to follow Veevart on LinkedIn, Meta, and X for our latest stories, topics, and updates about future episodes. Thanks again for listening, and as always, stay curious. All the links are in the description below.