The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Foundation Board of Directors has announced that Wendy K. Northcross has been tapped as the next executive director of the museum. Northcross, an accomplished executive leader with more than 30 years of not-for-profit management and community experience, assumed her new role last month. The West Barnstable resident takes the helm as the museum nears its thirtieth anniversary in summer of 2022.
“All of us on the museum’s foundation board are looking forward to our future with Wendy as our new executive,” said Peter Ubertaccio, board chair of The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum Foundation. “Her first-hand knowledge of this museum, combined with her impressive organizational and community leadership experience, will help position us for new growth and community impact, as we work to establish innovative ways to engage with our wider community,” he said.
“This position is a bit of a homecoming for me,” said Northcross. “I started my community development career here on Main Street in Hyannis and the JFK Museum has been a passion of mine since its founding in 1992. I’m honored to be selected to lead the work of inspiring active and informed civic engagement, while continuing to tell the story of President Kennedy’s family and how Cape Cod influenced his leadership,” she said.
This fall, the museum board will meet to define a fresh plan of action, including ways by which information and experiences are shared. The new Scudder Family Center for Civic Engagement will be part of how the museum delivers its work. The center located at the museum is hosting the return of a speaker series. A ribbon cutting ceremony with the Scudder family, invited guests is planned for later this summer.
Northcross says she and her husband, Van, have drawn inspiration from past U.S. presidents, having made it a mission to visit as many presidential sites as possible. To date, they have visited over 40 sites related to 27 presidents. “There are so many stories left to tell about President Kennedy, his family and how he loved and worked to protect this beautiful Cape, ” said Northcross.
About the Museum: The John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum is among the top most-visited cultural institutions on Cape Cod. The foundation’s programs work to connect visitors to Kennedy’s unique local heritage and nonpartisan themes of family commitment, civic engagement, public service, and community preservation.