Taylor chosen to lead Bullock Texas State History Museum

July 24, 2017 (AUSTIN, TX) — The Texas State Preservation Board has named Catherine Taylor of Nantucket, Mass. the new director of the Bullock Texas State History Museum. With more than 25 years of nonprofit, foundation, state government, and museum experience both in California and Massachusetts, she begins work in August leading the state's official history museum.

A Texas native, Taylor brings a wide range of experience at the senior executive leadership level with exceptional proven results in historic preservation, museum operations, educational initiatives, collections management, retail development, and fundraising.

Taylor's leadership experience includes director of museum resources for the Nantucket Historical Association (NHA), overseeing 21 properties, collections and exhibitions, library and archives, and other programs. Most recently she helped lead the reaccreditation of the NHA which was successfully achieved this month. She also served as a district superintendent for California State Parks, overseeing nine museums and state historic parks; spent seven years as the director of the California State Railroad Museum; and 12 years as executive director of the museum's foundation.

She has garnered numerous awards for her work in historic preservation in California and is also a Peer Reviewer for the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Taylor holds a BA in history from California State University, Sacramento, and is a graduate of the Museum Management Institute sponsored by the Getty Leadership Institute at UC Berkeley.

"Catherine is going to be a great addition to the Bullock Museum," State Preservation Board Executive Director Rod Welsh said. "We expect her wealth of experience in all facets of museum operations to take the Bullock to new levels of excellence and achievement."

Each year, about 600,000 people visit the Bullock Museum, which collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, and individuals to display original historical artifacts and host exhibitions that illuminate and celebrate Texas history and culture.

The museum includes three floors of exhibitions, a café, museum store, and two theaters, one of which is the only Laser IMAX® theater in the state of Texas. Celebrating only its 15th anniversary last year, the museum has earned national attention with awards from AAM and the American Association for State and Local History for its exhibitions and programs.

"The museum is at a pivotal point," Welsh said. "It will be the centerpiece of an exciting project to redevelop the Texas Capitol Complex into a thriving cultural district that connects the north and south sides of Congress Avenue around the state capitol. We expect this to create a dynamic regional tourist destination area for Austin."

The new director will also work closely with the Texas State History Museum Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which has raised approximately $22 million to support a variety of educational programs at the Bullock Museum and to provide school field trip scholarships to more than 5,000 students from economically challenged schools each year.

For more information, please visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com, or call the Bullock Museum at (512) 936-8746.

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​​The Bullock Texas State History Museum, a division of the State Preservation Board and an accredited institution of the American Alliance of Museums, creates experiences that educate, engage, and encourage a deeper understanding of Texas. With dynamic, award-winning exhibitions that illuminate Texas history, people, and culture, educational programming for all ages, and an IMAX® theater with a screen the size of Texas, the Museum collaborates with more than 700 museums, libraries, archives, organizations, and individuals across the world to bring the Story of Texas to life. For more information, visit www.TheStoryofTexas.com or call (866)369-7108.

The Bullock Museum is owned and operated by the State of Texas through the State Preservation Board. Additional support of exhibitions and programs is provided by the Museum's nonprofit partner, the Texas State History Museum Foundation.