The San Bernardino County Museum Association (SBCMA), the nonprofit organization established to support the San Bernardino County Museum, announced the selection of non-profit leader Zachary Tucker, MPPS, CFRE as its next Executive Director.
Tucker will lead the 60 year-old Museum Association in its goal to provide financial sustainability, resource development, and capacity building for the Museum. The Museum has successfully embarked on bold new initiatives led by Museum Director Melissa Russo. Russo stated “Zachary Tucker is the ideal partner to lead the Association board’s fundraising efforts which are so necessary to maintain the Museum’s status as a highly regarded, accredited institution. Our strategic plan to enhance visitor engagement, awareness, accessibility, and collections management, is well underway, and Zack’s appointment is welcome news.”
Museum Association Board President Abby Flores describes the Museum as “a tremendous asset for the community and a space designed to instill a life-long love of learning and curiosity in our children.” Flores adds that in “We are thrilled to have Zack join our team. His extensive background in non-profit management and fundraising will be critical to the Association’s ability to support the Museum and its vision for the future.”
Tucker’s nearly 30-year career has all been within the non-profit sector, the majority of it in the Inland Empire. He brings to the position an extensive background in nonprofit management, local knowledge of our region and a commitment to increasing the quality of life through the development of a strong nonprofit sector. He has worked or been involved as a volunteer board member of educational, healthcare and arts organizations.
“I could not be happier to join the Museum Association family and build on the work of board members and staff alike that have come before me to support this important regional cultural asset.”
Working with Arts Consulting Group, one of the world’s leading arts executive search consulting firms, an executive search committee consisting of SBCMA Board of Directors reviewed a number of excellent candidates. The Board recently voted unanimously to appoint Tucker. His appointment was effective May 11, 2020.
Tucker earned his master’s degree in Communication from the University of Denver and his undergraduate degree in History from CSU, San Bernardino. He resides with his wife and two children in Redlands.
The San Bernardino County Museum Association (the Museum Association) solicits, manages, and distributes funds, engages in programs, and advocates to benefit the mission of the San Bernardino County Museum (the Museum). The Museum was founded in 1952 by the Museum Association. It opened to the public in 1957, and was donated to the County of San Bernardino in 1961. The facility moved from Bloomington, California to its present location in Redlands in 1974, and is a San Bernardino County department in the Community Services Group. Additional branch sites include the Victor Valley Museum in Apple Valley, the Asistencia in Redlands, the Yucaipa Adobe, the Agua Mansa Pioneer Cemetery in Colton, the Yorba-Slaughter Adobe in Chino, and the John Rains House in Rancho Cucamonga.
The Museum is an educational and cultural mainstay in the region. With a collection of more than 3 million objects, the Museum plays an integral role in providing cultural and educational programming for the residents of San Bernardino County and beyond. Since the Museum’s founding, the Museum Association has partnered with the County to assist the Museum in developing deeper visitor engagement, enhancing stewardship and utilization of its collection, refreshing its facilities, diversifying sources of revenue, and building its organizational capacity.
The Museum and the Association are located in Redlands, California, situated within San Bernardino County. Comprised of more than 20,000 square miles and a population of 2.1 million residents, San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States in terms of acreage, the 12th most populous, and one of the nation’s most diverse in terms of geography and demographics. Residents and visitors to San Bernardino County can experience the arid beauty of the Mojave Desert, enjoy water sports at Lake Arrowhead or snow sports at Big Bear, and hike through the San Bernardino National Forest and National Park installations, such as Joshua Tree National Park. In addition, San Bernardino County’s diverse terrain includes tribal lands associated with peoples such as the Serrano, Cahuilla, Chemehuevi, and Mojave; military bases at Twentynine Palms and Fort Irwin; bountiful agricultural lands; and numerous historic sites located along the famous Route 66. Redlands is conveniently located approximately 30 minutes away from Ontario International Airport and within 90 minutes of Hollywood Burbank, Long Beach, and Los Angeles International Airports. The Museum and Museum Association are located at 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, California 92374, (909) 798-8608, http://www.sbcounty.gov/museum