The Ecsite Annual General Meeting is currently currently coming to a close in Valletta, Malta.
Bruno Maquart, Chairman and CEO of Universcience, Paris, France was re-elected as President for a second term.
"I am grateful to the Ecsite community for their trust and support in re-electing me as president of the Network. Together with the board of directors, I shall continue to serve the Ecsite members and the science engagement community and further our work on sustainability. Moving forward, it is essential that science and critical thinking are top of the political agenda across Europe, especially during the EU parliamentary elections in 2024. Ecsite will support members to highlight this plight and to engage citizens in science to better navigate our changing world"
Maria João Fonseca, Interim Executive Coordinator / Head of Communication / Director of the Hall of Biodiversity, Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP), Porto, Portugal was elected Vice President.
Amito Haarhuis, Director, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Leiden, the Netherlands was re-elected to the board and elected Treasurer.
Several Trustees were also elected:
European Southern Observatory (ESO), Garching, Germany – Tania Johnston, Head of ESO Supernova
Tania Johnston has been working in the field of science communication since 2002 and in 2015, Tania began working for the European Southern Observatory – the world’s most productive ground-based astronomy organisation – managing the ESO Supernova Planetarium & Visitor Centre.
Hidrodoe, Herentals, Belgium – Hilde De Laet, Manager
Hilde De Laet has been working at Hidrodoe since the very beginning, and has seen it develop into the educational and interactive water centre it is today. She is particularly interested in inspiring other people and helping them to grow, so that their organisation improves.
Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden – Lisa Månsson, Director General
Lisa Månsson was appointed Director General by the Swedish government in November 2021, but started at the museum the year before as Director of Museum Operations. She is also a board member of the non-profit membership organization Vetenskap & Allmänhet (Public & Science), that works to promote dialogue and openness between researchers and the public.
Vitenparken Campus Ås, Ås, Norway - Solveig Arnesen, CEO
Solveig Arnesen has been CEO at Vitenparken since January 2021 and have ten years of experience from various positions at the science center Vitenparken Campus Ås. Solveig serves on the board of several companies, specifically “green” startup companies with sustainability at the heart of their business mode.
Additionally, the following Trustees were re-elected:
Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom – Alexandra Burch, Director of Public Programmes
Psiquadro, Perugia, Italy – Leonardo Alfonsi, Director
Stiftung Neanderthal Museum, Mettmann, Germany – Bärbel Auffermann, Director
We would like to thank the following trustees who have completed their mandates:
Vice President
focusTerra, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland - Ulrike Kastrup, Museum Director
Treasurer
Experimentarium, Hellerup, Denmark – Kim Gladstone Herlev, CEO
Other Trustees
Copernicus Science Centre, Warsaw, Poland – Robert Firmhofer, CEO
Technopolis, the Flemish Science Centre, Mechelen, Belgium – Stephane Berghmans, CEO
Get to know the full Executive Committee & Board on the dedicated page