Over the last decade, the Center for Wooden Boats has been on a spectacular passage. At its helm has been Executive Betsy Davis, who will be stepping away from the helm at the end of this year. With the new Wagner Educational Center being built at South Lake Union and the North Lake Union facility opening up last year, the future is bright for the CWB, but will also present many challenges. While the CWB board of directors will be doing a nationwide search, there are probably some qualified and excited candidates right here in the Northwest. Whoever steps in will have a big responsibility to keep the CWB rolling along on a fast-changing Seattle waterfront. –KH
Release from the Center for Wooden Boats:
As CWB’s third Director in its 37-year history, Betsy Davis will be handing over the helm after 11 years of service to The Center for Wooden Boats at the end of this year.
Nearly four decades after The Center for Wooden Boats’ (CWB) humble beginnings as a living museum on the shores of Lake Union, CWB is now embarking on the most pivotal phase in its history as a nationally recognized and locally beloved maritime museum. The long anticipated construction of the Wagner Education Center is scheduled to start late this year, increasing CWB’s capacity to expand programs, add exhibits, and host events. As CWB embarks on this new and exciting stage, a transition in leadership will occur to help take the museum to its next level.
Betsy Davis aboard her classic wooden yacht Glorybe.
Betsy’s leadership has been instrumental in laying a solid foundation for CWB’s growth. During her tenure, Betsy established The Center for Wooden Boats as a key cultural institution in Seattle, a nationally recognized maritime museum, and as a civic leader and strategic partner amongst Seattle’s maritime and community organizations. She has been instrumental in heightening CWB’s visibility both locally and nationally; led a capital campaign raising $6.5 million to date for the funding of the Wagner Education Center; quadrupled the number of people who visit the museum; and spearheaded the openings of both the North Lake Union Workshop and CWB’s facility at Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island. Her involvement in expanding youth programs and introducing new museum exhibits has been considerable.
The CWB Board is launching a nationwide search for a new Executive Director. Betsy will become a founding member of the new CWB Advisory Council, and will stay aboard as an esteemed member and engaged stakeholder to assist with the transition to new leadership after her post concludes.
The Center for Wooden Boats’ trustees, employees and members celebrate Betsy’s substantial contributions to CWB over the past decade; a decade punctuated by both a national recession and the ensuing economic boom in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.
CWB is now accepting applications for the position of Executive Director. To learn more, apply online or share this position, click here.
