DuPage Children's Museum hires Science and Industry leader as next CEO
The next leader of the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville comes with more than a dozen years of experience as one of the top professionals at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
Andrea Ingram is set to take over as president and CEO of the children's museum Nov. 4.
Ingram worked 13 years as vice president of education and guest services at the Museum of Science and Industry. She has a law degree from the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor's degree from The American University. Ingram also has worked as a trial attorney and in roles involving advocacy for children, including with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and Voices for Illinois Children.
Children's museum leaders chose Ingram to succeed retiring President and CEO Sarah Orleans, who took the position in 2014 and guided the museum through renovations necessary when a pipe burst and caused flooding in January 2015.
Board Chairman Mark Trembacki said in a news release Orleans is leaving the museum "in a much stronger financial and operational position than when she arrived."
He said Ingram, with her passion for lifelong learning and early childhood education and her background in cultural institutions, will work to grow programs "to serve the vital need that hands-on play inspires in childhood development."
Ingram, in a news release, called her new post at the DuPage Children's Museum "truly my dream job."
"I have witnessed the impact of that access to quality experiences and resources has on a child's development, especially in the early years," Ingram said. "I am privileged to have been granted the opportunity to lead DCM as we seek to deepen and extend its impact on our communities."
The museum, at 301 N. Washington St., plans to remain in its location no matter what Naperville city officials do with potential redevelopment of the 5th Avenue area near the Naperville Metra station. Established in the late 1980s, the museum has been at the former lumber yard in Naperville since opening there in May 2001.
The museum hosted 329,186 visitors during its 2017-18 fiscal year and is known for "neighborhoods" of interactive exhibits that encourage learning through play.