Jane Werner’s 40+ years of museum experience includes 31 years at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (CMP), a hands-on interactive children’s museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she leads the team responsible for all aspects of the museum’s mission to provide innovative and inclusive experiences that inspire creativity, curiosity, joy and kindness for all learners, and its vision to transform education.
Under her leadership, in 2022 the CMP was named the #2 children’s museum in the nation by USA Today Reader’s Choice. She has overseen two expansions and the renovation of an adjacent park to create the nation’s largest cultural campus for children, raising more than $50 million in capital funding, growing the museum’s endowment from $300,000 to $10 million, and almost 300% annual attendance growth.
Werner has led the museum as it has grown into a popular attraction for local and visiting kids and families. Her leadership has also helped CMP transform education by reimagining how and where kids learn best. The museum’s ground-breaking Learning & Research department studies how children learn through play, informing the design of the exhibits and training of educators.
Her entrepreneurial approach to non-profit business is another innovative, strategic leadership trait. Exhibit design and consultancy account for more than 10% of CMP’s annual income, and it has partnered with renowned children’s media creators to build exhibitions that are rented nationwide. Collaborators include Pixar Animation Studios; children’s book author Mo Willems; and Fred Rogers Productions. Time Magazine recognised CMP’s partnership with international design firm CannonDesign for creating a new primary school design as one of the Best Inventions of 2022.
One nominator said: “Jane is a committed, thoughtful and visionary leader who has led the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to international recognition and thought leadership as it provides engaging and accessible experiences for children, families and educators.”