Staci Dennison honored at awards dinner April 15
CINCINNATI – Staci Dennison, director for corporate, foundation and government relations at Cincinnati Museum Center has been named the 2011 Ohio Museums Association (OMA) Professional of the Year. This award recognizes excellence in professional accomplishments and service by an employee of an Ohio Museums Association institutional member and is presented for outstanding leadership or professionalism over an extended period of time.
Dennison was selected because of her many achievements during her seven-year career at Cincinnati Museum Center. She received the award at the association’s awards dinner on Sunday, April 15 at Cincinnati Museum Center.
“Staci gives Museum Center a voice in influencing local and statewide issues and moves projects forward to benefit Museum Center and the community,” says Douglass W. McDonald, Museum Center president and CEO. “We appreciate her hard work, dedication and passion for the advancement of our institution.”
Dennison has a stellar success rate with government grant applications and funding. Her accomplishments have allowed Museum Center to build a DNA laboratory, begin its restoration of Union Terminal and advance the current goal of also featuring modern applied and physical sciences in the Museum of Natural History & Science. Her efforts also continue other educational, research, and restoration initiatives.
Her work extends beyond Cincinnati Museum Center, also benefiting the entire state of Ohio. Among these accomplishments, Dennison initiated ongoing collaborations with science (Ohio Alliance of Science Centers) and cultural institutions from across the state including COSI, Great Lakes Science Center, the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Ohio Historical Society and the Western Reserve Historical Society. These institutions now have ongoing dialogues about the future of programming and partnerships.
Additionally, Dennison serves as secretary for the Ohio Statuary Hall Commission, reporting to the Commission president. She was the liaison between the Commission, with the National Statuary Collection Study Committee, and the media.
“I have had the opportunity to work with Staci on the Ohio Statuary Hall Initiative, and have found her to be a dynamic individual who has done tremendous work for Ohio’s museums,” said Mark Wagoner, State Senator for the 2nd Senate District (Toledo). “She is bright and very well respected in both the historical and government relations fields.”
The 2011 OMA Awards of Achievement program honors institutions and individuals whose achievements exhibit efforts above and beyond the day-to-day operations of their job titles and institutional missions, while also contributing to the museum profession in Ohio. A distinguished panel of judges representing the diversity of the Ohio museum community considers the nominations.
About Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a nationally recognized institution as well as national historic landmark. Dedicated to sparking community dialogue, insight and inspiration, Museum Center was awarded the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service. Our Union Terminal has been voted the nation’s 45th most important building by the American Institute of Architects. Organizations within Cincinnati Museum Center include the Cincinnati History Museum, Duke Energy Children’s Museum, the Museum of Natural History & Science, the Robert D. Lindner Family OMNIMAX® Theater and the Cincinnati Historical Society Library. Recognized by Forbes Traveler Magazine as the 17th most visited museum in the country, Cincinnati Museum Center welcomes one million plus visitors annually. Cincinnati Museum Center gratefully acknowledges operating and capital support from the taxpayers of Hamilton County and the State of Ohio. For more information, visit www.cincymuseum.org