Jane Werner’s 25 years of museum experience include 17 years at The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh where she served as Program Director, Deputy Director and Executive Director. Werner is responsible for all aspects of the Museum’s mission and vision, exhibits, public programming, funding and operations. Werner leads the process for long-range strategic planning and implementation at the museum. She has administered and led teams of museum professionals, community organizations and various working committees. The new Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh opened in November 2004 after the completion of a $29M capital campaign. The museum is the largest Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rated museum in the United States and is the recipient of the 2006 American Institute of Architects National Award, the National Trust for Historic Preservation Award and the 2007 Rudy Bruner Silver Award for Urban Excellence. She is currently a Program Investigator for a National Science Foundation Grant for the “How People Make Things” exhibit and program opening in June 2007. Prior to her tenure at the Children’s Museum, Werner worked for the Franklin Institute Science Museum, The Carnegie Science Center, and The Buhl Science Center. She ran her own exhibit design firm whose clients included The Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, The Franklin Institute, Beechwood Nature Reserve and The Scientific Discovery Museum. Werner is President of the Board for the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and is the treasurer for the New Hazlett Theatre. She currently sits on the boards of the Forbes Fund, and the Association of Children’s Museums. She has also served on the boards of Children, Youth and Families of Allegheny County and the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and was a juror for the 2006 American Institute for Architecture National Design Award. She regularly participates in and presents at national conferences. Werner received a BFA in Synaesthetic Education from Syracuse University. She attended the Museum Management Institute of the Getty Foundation (1999) and was a Fellow at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University.
Abstract: Rebuilding the Neighborhood with Sustainability at the Core
The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh opened its award winning facility in November 2004. Throughout the planning and building of the new museum, environmental sustainability was paramount, resulting in a Silver LEED rating. After opening, the museum staff began to look at sustainability as not only as environmental but also in financial, social and institutional terms. This focus led the staff to looking beyond the museum’s walls into the community, resulting in the Charm Bracelet Project. This project uses the strength of the cultural institutions in the geographic area of the North Side of Pittsburgh as catalysts for community development and social change by looking at the programmatic, physical and marking links between the facilities.