Maine Science Festival Founder Named Interim Exec. Dir. At MDM

The Maine Discovery Museum will welcome a new Interim Executive Director next month. Niles Parker, who has been the MDM's Executive Director for the past 12 years, recently accepted a position at the Nantucket Historical Association and is set to start in the middle of May.

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Taking over for Parker is a name already familiar to many folks in the area, as she helped create the Maine Science Festival and is the current Director of the event.

Kate Dickerson has worked closely with Parker for almost a decade, in her position with the Maine Science Festival. She is well-versed with the players and procedures.

According to Dickerson, she is looking forward to stepping into the position. She hoped to keep up the positive momentum that's been achieved by bringing back the Maine Science Festival to an in-person format while capitalizing on the curiosity kids have for Science and Technology.

"I’m delighted to step into this role as Interim Executive Director and am excited about MDM’s direction after a difficult two+ years. The joy we’ve all experienced with reopening the Museum and celebrating Maine science via the recent Maine Science Festival (MSF) has been made possible thanks to Niles’ leadership and the remarkable efforts of our whole team. I appreciate this opportunity from the Board, and know that MDM will continue to provide outstanding educational, STEAM-based programming, and continued science engagement via our programs, including the MSF.”

The MDM's Board of Directors has said they believe Dickerson will be beneficial to setting goals and guiding the MDM forward during the transition of leadership.