Dear Members, Partners, and Friends of MOSH,

Greetings. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself. I am Maureen Mercho and I am thrilled to be starting 2023 by joining the MOSH team as the Chief Development Officer. I have spent over 20 years in not-for-profit leadership and development and have worked locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally to help connect people’s passions with community impact. In doing so, I also spent a great deal of time trekking my three children (now grown adults) into every museum we could visit. I continue to do so with my two grandchildren.

As MOSH continues to grow and dream big, while also creating new ways to partner with and serve our community, life-long learning will always be at the heart of our work. In fact, after 82 years of service, we are bursting at the seams in our work to educate guests, engage our community, host events, and create even more classroom learning opportunities.

As far as we are concerned, this is a great problem to have! It means we have the opportunity and responsibility of serving more school children, families, and visitors from our communities. For that, we can only say “thank you” for your continued support, trust, and partnership along this journey. Whether it is choosing to spend a Saturday afternoon bringing your family to MOSH, exploring distant galaxies in the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium, or attending an after-hours event, you are helping to spark the joy of learning and bring to life the sciences and our regional history for so many.

The MOSH Genesis project will be a central focus of mine as it will enable us to create even greater access to science, history, community building, and learning – while also fostering our partnership in the ongoing efforts to enhance Downtown Jacksonville through innovation. It is an exciting time for MOSH and for Jacksonville!

As I get my feet on the ground here at MOSH, I encourage each of you to reach out and share your MOSH story with me. And, if you want to learn more about how to get engaged in bringing the MOSH Genesis project to life, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. In the meantime, I want to leave you with the joy I experienced on my first day at MOSH, walking in before the Museum was open to the public, only to be greeted by our Duval County VPK class of 3-4 year olds, walking in a very straight line, on their way into their classroom right here at the Museum. They were all smiles as they navigated their route while balancing boxes of building blocks in their hands. What a great reminder of the important work we do here and a wonderful start to the day! Afterall, to quote Maira Kalman, “A visit to a museum is a search for beauty, truth, and meaning in our lives. Go to museums as often as possible.”

Sincerely,

Maureen Mercho
Chief Development Officer
Museum of Science & History

About Maureen

Maureen Mercho serves as chief development officer at the MOSH in Jacksonville, Fl. In this position, she works closely with the President and CEO, the board of trustees, the campaign cabinet and the development and museum team to provide leadership, direction and coordination for all fundraising strategies and activities that enable the museum to continue to grow and serve Northeast Florida. A major focus of her time will be the GENESIS Capital Campaign work that is underway to build an iconic World Class Museum.

Prior to coming to MOSH, Maureen served on a variety of boards and in a variety of leadership positions with not-for-profit organizations including local, national and international organizations.  Most recently Maureen served as the Chief Development Officer for United Way of Northeast Florida.  While there, the organization was the recipient of a $20 million Mackenzie Scott Gift and a $1 million dollar gift from Miller Electric, supporting race, equity and social justice.  She has also served as the Executive Director for several hospital foundations including Advent Health. Maureen’s experience includes feasibility studies, capital campaigns, corporate giving, annual fund, and major and transformative giving.

In her personal life, Maureen enjoys lots of time at the beach, travel, reading, yoga, Pilates, and finding new trails to explore with her rescue Wheaton terrier, Zsa Zsa.