Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Linda Silver.
Hi Dr. Linda, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been very fortunate to have my professional journey take me all over the globe. I began by volunteering for multiple museums during college, and my first job, believe it or not, was working as a van driver and tour guide for the William S. Hart Museum in Newhall, California. I continued my career in museums and my first CEO role came at the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio where the board was intentionally searching for a rising leader and selected me, a 34-year-old from California. I served in that role for 8 years before accepting a leadership position for the government of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Since 2017 have served as the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.
Throughout my career, I have remained steadfast in ensuring science and STEM education is accessible to all, especially for women and girls. I can remember signing both my son and daughter up for the engineering-based summer camps even when my daughter would be the only girl in the program. At the beginning of my career, I was often the only female at a museum’s leadership table, so the gender gap in STEM has always been top of mind in how I choose to build organizational culture that is inclusive of all.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Retrospectively, my career trajectory looks perfectly planned out as each position clearly led to my next role. But in the midst of it, whether moving my young family across the country or to the Middle East for a new position, it felt like chaos. When pregnant with my second child, my then husband was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer and given months to live. I’m pleased to say he survived as treatment exceeded all expectations, but these personal struggles allow me to always keep my professional career in perspective.
When faced with a seemingly impossible hurdle at work, I’ll often remind myself this isn’t cancer. It helps me to keep a level head, contextualize the situation and build a plan of action. I enjoy working and building my career but know it’s not the center of my universe.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The Perot Museum’s mission is to inspire minds through nature and science. I believe this means we play a vital role in building a pipeline for the next generation of STEM professionals. Dr. Robert Tai from The University of Virginia found the single most reliable predictor of a child pursing a STEM career is if the child expresses excitement about science between ages 6-11 years old. That is where the Perot Museum comes in. We have a responsibility to create those “ah-ha” moments that build a love of STEM in this next generation.
Without question, what sets us apart from others is our incredibly talented staff. We have been able to recruit professionals at the top of their fields who are deeply passionate about our mission. The pandemic has been challenging and forced us re-imagine how we interact with our audiences, but I am proud of our staff’s ingenuity which allowed us to pivot to different delivery channels and support educators and families. I look forward to the future as we will build on these successes and expand our community impact.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.perotmuseum.org
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drlindasilver
Image Credits
Perot Museum of Nature and Science
