Executive Director

Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture www.burkemuseum.org

The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (the Burke) is one of the oldest and most distinguished natural history and cultural institutions in the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1885 and located on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, the Burke holds a singular place in the region’s intellectual and civic life, serving simultaneously as a world-class research repository, a public museum, and a living expression of the Pacific Northwest’s extraordinary natural and human heritage. Its collections span archeology, biology, paleontology, and the arts and cultures of Indigenous peoples across the Northwest and the Pacific region, North and South America, Central Asia, and Africa. The Burke’s expansive and distinguished collections make it one of the most diverse and scientifically significant collections-based institutions in the western United States.

The Burke’s mission is to care for and share natural and cultural collections so that all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal. That mission is notable for what it includes: joy and healing alongside knowledge and learning. It signals an institution that understands its collections not merely as scientific assets but as sources of meaning, identity, and connection for the communities it serves. This mission animates everything from curatorial decisions to public programming to the museum’s deepening relationships with Indigenous communities across the region.

The Burke Museum is administered by the University of Washington, operating under the governance of the College of Arts and Sciences. This relationship with one of the nation’s leading public research universities gives the Burke access to extraordinary scholarly resources, faculty partnerships, and a global network of researchers and collections professionals. At the same time, the museum maintains its own distinct identity and public presence, functioning as both an academic institution and a community anchor in Seattle and the broader Pacific Northwest.

The museum operates with an annual budget of approximately $15 million. Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of sources: general operating funds from the College of Arts and Sciences and University of Washington, earned revenue streams including admissions, memberships, the Burke Store, programs, collections-based services, and facility rentals. The remainder is drawn from endowment proceeds and contributed revenue, reflecting the museum’s ongoing commitment to philanthropic engagement and long-term financial sustainability. The Burke Museum Association plays an important role in supporting the institution’s annual fundraising efforts, and the museum maintains active relationships with major gift donors, foundations, and corporate partners.

The Burke’s relationship with Indigenous communities is central to the institution’s identity and operations. A Native American Advisory Board provides essential guidance on policy, programming, and advocacy, reflecting the museum’s commitment to decolonization and cultural equity. The Burke holds significant collections of Indigenous cultural materials and its approach to stewardship, access, and interpretation of those collections is shaped by ongoing dialogue with the communities from which they originate. This work positions the Burke as a national model for how natural history and cultural institutions can engage authentically and respectfully with Indigenous peoples.

The museum’s values are deeply rooted in diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility. The Burke shares the University of Washington’s core commitment to building a welcoming environment for staff, researchers, visitors, and community partners alike. The Burke’s public programming, exhibition design, and educational engagement all reflect an institution that takes seriously its responsibility to serve all people, not only those with prior access to natural history and cultural institutions.

The Burke’s physical home is an award-winning state-of-the-art facility which opened in October 2019 after a major capital campaign and construction effort. The new building was designed to make the museum’s collections and research more visible and accessible to the public, with open storage areas that allow visitors to see behind the scenes of collections care. The facility represents a significant milestone in the museum’s history and a tangible expression of its commitment to transparency, public engagement, and the democratization of scientific and cultural knowledge.

The museum is led by a talented team of professionals spanning curatorial and professorial roles, collections management, education, development, finance, operations, and community engagement functions. The leadership structure includes close collaboration with the museum’s Administrator, the Burke Museum Association, and the Native American Advisory Board, as well as regular engagement with University of Washington senior administrators, state legislators, and civic leaders across the region. This web of relationships reflects the Burke’s position as an institution that operates at the intersection of academia, government, philanthropy, and community life.

The Burke Museum stands today as a distinctive institution, one that holds scientific and cultural collections of global significance while remaining deeply rooted in the communities and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. It is a place where paleontologists and Indigenous knowledge holders, schoolchildren and university researchers, casual visitors and serious scholars all find something that speaks to them. That breadth of purpose, combined with a modern facility, a clear and values-driven mission, and a strong foundation of community trust, makes the Burke one of the most compelling natural history and cultural institutions in the country.

The Opportunity

Executive Director of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is a senior leadership role. Reporting to the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Washington, the Executive Director of the Burke Museum holds full accountability for advancing the Burke’s mission, “to care for and share natural and cultural collections so all people can learn, be inspired, generate knowledge, feel joy, and heal,” while stewarding a $15 million operating budget and directly overseeing eight staff positions and twelve faculty curators who work alongside a team of dedicated museum professionals. Burke stewards more than 18 million natural history and cultural specimens and supports active research across its collections, making the Executive Director responsible not only for their care and accessibility, but also for advancing the knowledge, scholarship, student training, and discovery that they enable. The role demands an executive who can simultaneously manage complex day-to-day operations, advocate for the relevance and importance of collections and scientific research, cultivate a diverse and growing revenue base, and serve as the Burke’s most visible ambassador across Seattle, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond.

The Executive Director works in close partnership with the Burke Museum Association on philanthropic support and with the Burke’s Native American Advisory Board on policy, programming, and advocacy; these relationships are central to the museum’s commitment to decolonization and cultural equity.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate for Executive Director of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture is a visionary, mission-driven leader who brings deep personal and professional commitment to the intersection of natural history, cultural collections, and public engagement. This individual combines seasoned executive leadership with genuine enthusiasm for collections-based science and research, Indigenous cultural equity, and the transformative power of museums as community anchors. They bring firsthand understanding of research and collections and the credibility to advocate for the people, resources, and partnerships that enable this work to thrive. They are a confident, proactive communicator equally at home presenting to state legislators, engaging major donors, collaborating with Native American advisory leaders, or inspiring a diverse team of museum professionals.

The next Executive Director will bring a strong record of financial stewardship and managing complex, multi-revenue budget, alongside demonstrated success in diversifying earned and contributed revenue streams. They understand the unique dynamics of operating within a major research university and can navigate the administrative, political, and academic relationships that come with reporting to a College of Arts & Sciences Dean while maintaining the museum’s independent identity and community presence. They will use their professional understanding of research and collections to advocate effectively for the resources, partnerships, infrastructure, and visibility needed to sustain active scholarship, steward the Burke’s collections, and amplify the knowledge generated through them. Above all, this leader possesses a thorough understanding of the principles of decolonization and cultural equity and knows how to build authentic, sustained relationships with Indigenous communities and communities of color who are essential partners in how the Burke operates, tells stories, and shares its collections with the world.

Strong candidates will have the following required attributes:

Candidates will bring at least five years of senior leadership experience in educational, scientific, or cultural institutions, including a strong record in budget management and demonstrated success with fundraising. In addition, they will have experience in many of the following areas of museum operations: staff development, curatorial, exhibitions design, collections management, facilities oversight, teaching, academic research and publication, and demonstrated cultural competence in working with Indigenous communities and communities of color.

A terminal degree in a field relevant to the Burke collections is strongly preferred, as is a strong scholarly track record of research, publication, and/or production. Having these qualifications entitles the Executive Director to qualify for a faculty appointment at the University of Washington. Exceptional candidates with a professional track record of 9 or more years of senior leadership in renowned cultural institutions and a bachelor’s or master’s degree may be considered without faculty appointment.

Candidates will have demonstrable experience working with the public: they will have a strong commitment to community outreach, public engagement and supporting the visitor experience.

Preferred Capacities and Preparation:

Natural History and Culture Museum Experience

The Director will have demonstrated ability to guide a collections-based institution at the intersection of science, scholarship, public education, and community engagement. They will have experience leading multidisciplinary teams across most, if not all of the following areas: curatorial research, collections stewardship, exhibitions, education, operations, advancement, and visitor experience. They will know how to ensure that scientific and cultural collections are cared for responsibly and made accessible to researchers, students, and the public.

Visionary Leadership and Organizational Culture

The next Executive Director will lead with clarity of purpose and an open, team-oriented management style. They will promote a working climate where staff feel seen, supported, and accountable — fostering professional development at every level while maintaining the cohesion needed to execute a complex institutional agenda. They will set direction and use performance metrics and strategic analysis to keep the organization learning and adapting. They will work with their Board and advisory council members as genuine partners: communicating proactively and ensuring alignment between the work of the Board and councils and institutional strategy and values.

Above all, the next Executive Direction will be a passionate, collaborative, and data-informed leader who can establish the Burke as a global model for research and exhibition for natural and cultural history institutions worldwide.

Centering Cultural Equity and Building Community Relationships

These are essential job skills. The ideal candidate will understand indigenous cultural perspectives, center Indigenous voices, knowledge systems, and community relationships in the work of the institution itself — in collections stewardship, storytelling, hiring, governance, and programming. They will understand the history and ongoing dynamics of cultural extraction in natural history museums and approach relationships with tribal and Indigenous communities with humility, rigor, and a long-term orientation. Authentic, trust-based relationships with Indigenous leaders and communities of color are a hallmark of how they lead, and they have a track record of embedding equitable, community development, and inclusive practices as a lens applied across the full scope of institutional operations.

Public Presence and Ambassadorship

The Executive Director is the Burke’s most visible advocate: on stage, in the legislature, in a donor’s living room, and in the community. The ideal candidate is a compelling, confident communicator who translates the museum’s mission across widely different audiences without losing substance or authenticity. They can speak with authority and enthusiasm about collections-based research, natural history science, and cultural scholarship, making complex subject matter feel urgent and accessible whether addressing a faculty symposium, a state appropriations committee, or a first-generation museum visitor.

Institutional and University Navigation

Operating within the University of Washington requires a specific kind of political and relational intelligence. The ideal candidate will maintain the Burke’s independent identity and community presence while working productively within university governance — building credibility with deans, faculty, and administrators. They are skilled at managing up, across, and outward in complex, multi-stakeholder environments where authority is distributed, relationships are long, and competing priorities must be balanced with diplomacy and persistence.

Relationship Building, Fundraising, and Strategic Growth

The next Executive Director will be able to build relationships that last. They will bring exceptional interpersonal and listening skills — the kind that make donors, board members, civic leaders, and community partners feel genuinely engaged. They will be comfortable with major gift solicitation and understand the long arc of donor cultivation, from first conversation to transformational commitment and stewardship. Beyond fundraising, they will think expansively about the Burke’s reach and reputation, bringing a track record of growing an organization’s visibility and relevance through strategic positioning, partnership development, and audience-building at local, regional, and national levels.

Financial Stewardship and Revenue Diversification

The ideal candidate has direct experience managing multi-million-dollar operating budgets — including planning, forecasting, and real-time decision-making — and understands how to align financial strategy with mission priorities. Equally important is their ability to diversify revenue: growing earned income through admissions, memberships, and facilities use while cultivating major gifts, foundation grants, endowment support, and corporate partnerships. Strong leadership in this context also requires financial and operational discipline, a demonstrated skill for building partnerships with universities, Indigenous communities, civic leaders, donors, and peer institutions, and an ability to advance equity, decolonization, and inclusive public engagement as core institutional priorities.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $275,000 to $325,000.

The University of Washington offers a highly competitive salary and a wide range of benefits as part of a total compensation package. For more information, explore the UW Benefits website. Relocation will be provided for the successful candidate.

Contact

DSG | Koya has been exclusively retained for this engagement, which is being led by Naree W.S. Viner and Susan Kart, PhD. Submit a compelling letter of interest and CV/resume by filling out our Talent Profile - https://talent-profile.dsgco.com/search/v2/23248. Nominations and Inquiries may be submitted at our “Make a Nomination” portal. All inquiries are strictly confidential.

DSG | Koya is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NPSIpractice@dsgco.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.

The Burke Museum is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ applicants.