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BISHOP MUSEUM BOARD APPOINTS DEE JAY MAILER PRESIDENT AND CEO
The Board of Directors of Bishop Museum today announced the appointment of Dee Jay Mailer to a three-year term as president and CEO, effective immediately. Mailer has been leading the Museum on an interim basis since Feb. 2, 2023. The board's vote, taken at its regularly scheduled quarterly meeting on Wednesday, was motivated in part by enthusiastic feedback about Mailer's leadership from staff, donors and community members.
"What the Museum needs most right now is stable, experienced leadership and we have found that in Dee Jay," said Board Chair Wayne Pitluck. "In her first eight weeks on the job, she has filled critical executive positions, started work on a needed restructuring of our HR systems and begun guiding staff in envisioning the next phase of the existing 2020-2023 strategic plan."
"We felt blessed to have someone of Dee Jay's caliber serve in an interim capacity and are thrilled that she has committed to a longer term," Pitluck continued.
At its Wednesday meeting, the board also voted to terminate the executive search process that had commenced upon Mailer's appointment as the Museum's interim leader. Both actions received unanimous approval by members present.
"I feel very fortunate to be working with our talented and dedicated Museum staff," said Mailer. "I am excited by the work we've begun together to make an already wonderful institution even stronger, and I appreciate the board for allowing us time to complete the work we've started."
About Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, the State of Hawaiʻi Museum of Natural and Cultural History
Bishop Museum’s mission is to inspire our community and visitors through the exploration, celebration, and perpetuation of the extraordinary history, culture, and environment of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. The Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Bernice Pauahi Bishop, a royal descendant of King Kamehameha I. Today, the Museum thrives as an educational center for the community and is widely regarded as the world’s premier institution for Hawaiian and Pacific content.
Bishop Museum’s vast collections of more than 25 million objects and specimens represent nine disciplines and include more than 22 million biological specimens, over 2 million cultural objects, 115,000 historical publications, and 1 million photographs, films, works of art, audio recordings, and manuscripts. These collections tell the stories of the cultures and biodiversity of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific as well as the proud legacy of scholarly research spanning 130 years.
Bishop Museum proudly serves more than 200,000 visitors each year, including 20,000 children on school visits. Guests are encouraged to pre-plan their trip to #HawaiisMuseum with its free digital guide, available through Bloomberg Connects.
To learn more about the Museum’s research, collections, exhibits, and programs, visit BishopMuseum.org, follow @BishopMuseum on Facebook and Instagram, visit Bishop Museum’s YouTube channel, or call (808) 847-3511. Bishop Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Bishop Museum is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and welcomes applicants from the military, veterans, and those with disabilities. Learn about careers at Bishop Museum at BishopMuseum.org/Careers and on its LinkedIn page.
Bishop Museum Press is Hawaiʻi’s oldest book publisher and one of the first scholarly publishers in the Western Hemisphere, and has published over 1,200 titles and distributed over 1 million books in 72 countries worldwide. Bishop Museum hosts a restaurant and gift shop on campus, Tūtū’s Place by Highway Inn and Shop Pacifica by Nā Mea Hawaiʻi.