Chair: Nancy Best

Vice Chair: Karen Katz

Secretary: Andrew Gould

Treasurer: Meghna Banerjee Sharma

Linda Silver, Ed.D. | Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer

Linda Silver, Ed.D., joined the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in July 2017 as the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, the Perot Museum celebrated its 10th anniversary year and expanded its impact to more than 11 million people since its opening. Remaining singularly focused on the Museum’s mission of inspiring minds through nature and science, Linda has delivered year-on-year surpluses allowing the Museum to make critical investments back into its staff, exhibit floors, and education programs, all the while ensuring financial aid remains available to allow every school in North Texas to benefit from the Perot Museum’s many science education initiatives. In 2020, Linda doubled down on the Museum’s commitment to advancing new knowledge by unveiling a state-of-the-art science and collections facility which houses the Museum’s paleontology team, their laboratories and 150,000 scientific specimens.

Prior to leading the Perot Museum, Linda worked for the government of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where she served as associate director of the Technology Development Committee. While in this position, she oversaw the creation and growth of informal science education initiatives designed to build a sustainable and diversified knowledge economy aimed at integrating the emirate into the global ecosystem. Prior to this position, she spent eight years as the president and CEO of Great Lakes Science Center – one of the nation’s leading science and technology centers. She led the center in its first-ever strategic planning process and achieved a financial turnaround, taking the institution from operating losses to a balanced budget and creating a 75% earned-revenue business model. Linda began her museum career at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where she spent 13 years in positions of increasing responsibility which culminated in the role of vice president of Education and Guest Relations for the 5 museums that comprised the NHMLAC family of museums.

She holds degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles – Bachelor of Arts; Pepperdine University – Master of Business Administration; the University of Southern California — Doctorate of Education and Harvard Business School – Executive Education Program. Linda is a passionate and experienced museum leader with an unparalleled track record of delivering exceptional science education, civic and community engagement, and operational excellence.

KC Hurst | Chief Marketing & Experience Officer

KC Hurst joined the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in fall 2024 as its first Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, leading the Museum’s brand communications and guest experience portfolio. She brings a record of driving growth, digital innovation, and institutional relevance across education and cultural organizations.

Before the Perot Museum, KC served as Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the Dallas Museum of Art and as Chief Marketing, Communications, and Digital Officer for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary. In both roles, she oversaw major digital transformation initiatives, including advancing data-driven audience strategy and elevating the role of digital content and multimedia storytelling. Her leadership helped propel record visitation and exhibition attendance and expanded national visibility for both institutions. Earlier, she led award-winning recruitment marketing and brand programs in higher education.

KC holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at El Paso as well as a Master of Business Administration from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Drex Owusu | Chief Learning Officer

Drex Owusu joined the Perot Museum in April 2024 as Chief Learning Officer, overseeing its educational mission and community outreach. Before joining the Museum, Drex served as Chief Impact Officer at The Dallas Foundation, where he led its grantmaking, community engagement, and civic portfolio. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Education and Workforce for the Dallas Regional Chamber. Before transitioning into education, Drex spent the first 15 years of his career in corporate strategy roles at Accenture, FedEx Office, Blockbuster, and Civitas Capital.

Drex earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Rice University, where he was a two-time track and field All-American in the triple jump. He lives in Oak Cliff with his wife, Joanna, and their three children, all of whom attend Dallas ISD schools.

Lorea Seidel | Chief People Officer

Lorea Seidel joined the Perot Museum in May 2022 as the first Chief People Officer. Before joining the Museum, Lorea spent more than 20 years working across all areas of human resources, most recently as Director of Human Resources for UWorld, a for-profit company providing educational support services to students and professionals. Previously, she served as Director of Talent Management and Director of Organizational Effectiveness at Southern Methodist University, and became a Leadership Development Consultant and Executive Coach through Aerie Leadership LLC.

Before becoming Chief People Officer, Lorea provided consulting services to the Perot Museum focused on helping organizations and leaders develop innovative, high-performing teams. That experience allowed Lorea and the Museum to establish a strong, high-trust relationship before she officially joined the organization.

Lorea holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations as well as a Master of Education in Community Counseling from Texas Tech University. She has received a grad-level executive coaching certificate from SMU; earned certifications as a Senior Human Resources Professional through HRCI and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM); and is one of approximately 700 people in the world to become a Dare to Lead™ Facilitator.

Kraig Smith | Chief of Staff

Kraig Smith joined the Perot Museum in April 2019 as the Board Liaison and Executive Assistant to the CEO. In summer 2020, he assumed the role of Chief of Staff. Before joining the Museum, Kraig spent 13 years in various roles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, most recently as Administrator for the world-renowned Paper Conservation Department (where he likes to boast he held a Michelangelo in his hands), and prior to that as Assistant Administrator for Public Affairs where he supported the Sr. VP for External Affairs in multiple areas including press management, crisis response, and government affairs. Raised in Texas, Kraig returned to the North Dallas area with his wife, Myriam, and their two sons.

Kraig holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and a Master of Arts in Screenwriting and Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin.

Katherine Stenesen | Chief Development Officer

Katherine Stenesen joined the Perot Museum as Chief Development Officer in January 2020.  Prior to joining the Museum, Katherine served as Chief Development Officer at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.  During her eight-year tenure, she led the fundraising team and secured more than $60 million in annual commitments through corporate giving campaigns, community giving, and major gifts. Additionally, she restructured the United Way Foundation’s $100 million Unite Forever campaign, accelerating the growth of resources for the organization’s endowment. Prior to United Way, Katherine spent nearly eight years at Southern Methodist University, where she rebuilt the donor relations program and increased donor acquisition, retention, and giving levels.

Katherine holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications from the University of Washington and a Master of Arts in Education from Seattle University. She lives in East Dallas with her husband, Drew, and their two daughters.

Anne Woods | Chief Financial Officer

Anne Woods joined the Perot Museum as Chief Financial Officer in March 2019. Before joining the Museum, Anne served as Chief Financial Officer at the Crow Museum of Asian Art, where she led strategic financial initiatives that culminated in the Museum being gifted to the University of Texas at Dallas. During the preceding 12 years, she consulted with museums across the United States on areas ranging from guest experience and operations to new museum openings. Early in her career, Anne served as General Manager of DisneyQuest in Chicago and credits her training with The Walt Disney Company for inspiring her passion for guest service. Of all her experiences, Anne is most proud of her meaningful years she spent as a stay-at-home mother, raising and home-educating her three daughters.

Anne holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

The Museum’s annual financial statements and annual reports to the community are available for download as PDFs. The purpose of these reports is to provide transparency to the community about our accounting and financial practices, as well as our accomplishments each year.