$5,000,000+
$100,000
$3,000,000
ADA Lift (Historic Front Stairs) - Thanks! Thunderbirds Charities
Expansion Champion - Thanks! City of Phoenix Move It! Masterplan & Renovation
Preschool - Thanks! The Steele Foundation Southeast Courtyard Expansion (Delish Café)
$2,500,000
The NeighborGood & Reimagined Exhibits - Thanks! Lilly Endowment Inc
$2,000,000
Thanks! The Hearst Foundation Thanks! Anonymous Amphitheater (Move It) Ballroom Bling BlockMania!/Construction/Big Bigger Children's Garden DramaRama - Thanks! McKeever Family Foundation Field Trip HQ Historic Front Entrance
Thanks! The Kemper and Ethel Marley Foundation
Noodle Forest
$1,750,000
North Stairs Pedal Power
Early Literacy Learning Center - Thanks! The Burton Family Foundation Rooftop Rendezvous The Cloud Climber
Pit Stop Preschool Classrooms (5) Rainbow Stairs
$1,000,000
Remida Network
Administration & Support Spaces Artist-in-Residency Endowment LOCO! Motion (3rd Floor Atrium) Sky Room Watering Hole
$500,000 A Brave Place
East Entrance Pavilion Elemental Gallery Preschool Playground - Thanks! Moreno Family Foundation Remida Materials Atelier Room for Threes & Younger
$250,000 Thanks! Adelante Foundation Analog Makerspace - Thanks! The Bainbridge Foundation Early Literacy Cooperative - Thanks! Moreno Family Foundation Gentle Creatures Kindness Clinic Historic Front Stairs & Portico Learning Lobby (Preschool & Early Literacy Learning Center & Lobby) - Thanks! T.W. Lewis Foundation Pollinator Garden Preschool Multipurpose Room Sunburst Texture Café - Thanks! The Weiss Family The Market The Snug (Sensory)
South Stairs sssSandpit (Sand Play)
$50,000-$99,999
Thanks! The Pakis Family Foundation Brave Slide Mud Kitchen Mini Snugs (up to 3)
$25,000-$49,999
Thanks! Connie & Jim Binns Thanks! Cindy & Mike Watts Baby Nests (in multiple exhibits) Time Together (up to 10)
$10,000 - $24,999 Thanks! Bob & Colleen Cookson
Thanks! Cathy & Stephen McConnell Thanks! Kathy Munson Thanks! Shamrock Foods Foundation Thanks! The Haddock Stanton Foundation Thanks! Beth & Jim Warne
$1,000 - $9,999
Thanks! Laura & Richard Bricker Thanks! Ann & Greg Denk
Naming opportunities & giving levels may evolve as our expansion comes to life. Updated September, 2026.
Campaign Cabinet Advisors Brian Campbell, Baker Tilly LLP Philip & Juanita Francis Gretchen Freeman, Arts Consultant Lisa Handley, U.S. Bank Becky Lieberman, Phoenix Spine & Joint Rick McCartney, InMedia Publishing Katie Scardello, J.P. Morgan Private Bank Alan Silverman, Attorney Andrea Stone, Ballard Spahr LLP
Children’s Museum of Phoenix Campaign Team Dedicated Museum Leadership Team with a Proven Track Record
The Children’s Museum is led by a team of seasoned professionals, dedicated to the Children’s Museum and the well-being of children and families in our community. With over 103 years of cumulative senior-level leadership at the Museum, it is a stable, well-run organization that has a solid track record of being mission-driven, community-focused, and excellent stewards of philanthropic support. The Museum has a 17-year record of clean audits, and since 2014 has been operating with a revenue surplus. Additionally, the Museum is debt-free, and has grown a board-designated endowment of over $10 million with zero drawdowns of interest for operations or any other use.
Kate Wells,
23 years with CMoP Kate Wells has served as the President & CEO of the Children’s Museum since 2013, and is a founding member of the organization – in total spending 24 years imagining, creating, and running the Museum. Responsible for the success of the Museum’s two other capital campaigns ($25.8 million and $2.5 million), ongoing operations, and the funding of a board-designated endowment of over $10 million, Kate brings extensive experience, connections, and passion to her work and is focused on completing the renovation and expansion of the Museum so it can be enjoyed to its full potential by generations of children and families.
Betsy Ferman,
12 years with CMoP
undergraduate degree in Behavioral Science & Psychology and her Masters in Human Resources from Purdue University, combined with her strong organizational skills and attention to detail, ensure that children and families experience joyful, meaningful, and lasting connections through play and learning at the Museum.
Steve Watson,
1 year with CMoP Steve, co-founder of Tidewater Solutions, a financial and accounting firm specializing in fractional CFO and accounting services, has dedicated his career to helping nonprofits grow stronger through sound financial stewardship and strategic leadership. With 23 years in the field, Steve has his undergraduate degree from BYU, his MBA from Arizona State, and has been a registered CPA since 2017. He is passionate about building systems that allow organizations to expand their reach and better serve children and families in the community. Steve provides CFO services for the Museum, and his firm provides additional accounting services.
Georgie Hanlin, Executive Director of Development 5 years with CMoP
Georgie Hanlin has more than 13 years of nonprofit fundraising experience in education, arts & culture and mental health organizations. A former elementary school teacher for 10 years, Georgie brings together her passions for education, children, and philanthropy in her work at the Museum. She earned her Master’s Degree from Teachers College, Columbia University, where her studies further deepened her commitment to early childhood and elementary education as well as lifelong learning.
Kelley Fitzsimmons, Director of Visitor Engagement 25 years with CMoP
As the Museum’s first hired employee, Kelley has been with the Children’s Museum of Phoenix since 2000, and in her 25-year tenure has worn many hats – as volunteer coordinator, Museum on Wheels bus driver, Director of Education – and she played an instrumental role in the Museum’s grand opening in 2008. Currently, as Director of Visitor Engagement, she leads the development of artistic, mission-driven, and revenue-generating experiences that have become central to the Museum’s growth and community impact.
Ernesto Muñoz, Director of Visitor Development 10 years with CMoP
Ernesto is a seasoned visitor experience leader, with over 10 years at the Children’s Museum after gaining early career experience at The Phoenix Zoo. He oversees most of the Museum’s earned revenue, including Admissions, Field Trips, Memberships, and the Museum’s Café and Gift Shop. Ernesto is laser-focused on customer service, ensuring strong revenue, and that every visitor has an EPIC visit.
Chris Slaughter, Director of Development 2.5 years with CMoP
Chris Slaughter is a former California children’s museum director with over 25 years of nonprofit executive leadership experience. Over the past two years, Chris has worked with the Museum as project manager for our $2.5 million Lilly Endowment character development grant, and this year she joined our senior team as Director of Development with oversight of our grants and sponsorship programs, gala management, and the capital campaign.
Marion Wiener, Director of Marketing & Communications 19 years with CMoP
With 40 years of marketing and communications experience – including two decades at the Children’s Museum – Marion has overseen marketing and communications initiatives that have significantly elevated the Museum’s profile and impact, making it one of the most visited and loved arts and cultural amenities in the Valley.
Dr. Angela Cazel-Jahn, MSW, Ph.D., Exhibits Consultant 11 years with CMoP
Angela is a Museum co-founder. She returned to the Museum in 2024 after 16 years working in multimedia art and interdisciplinary research in Social Work and Sustainability. As Director of Innovation & Learning, she helped shape the vision for new exhibits and programs connected to the Museum’s expansion. Angela now continues her work with the Museum as Exhibits Consultant.
Children’s Museum of Phoenix Board of Directors (2026-2027) Chair
Trustees Emeritus
Scott Horn
Tom Ambrose
Immediate Past Chair
Sarah Bodney
Kristin Windtberg
Gretchen Freeman
Chair Elect
Lisa Handley
Allison Otu, MBA
Treasurer Kory Leadon
Secretary
Terry Hanson Sally Hurwitz, Ph.D. Hildy Saizow Gayle Starr Josie Young
Brandon Blakely Daniel Brown Elizabeth Byrnes Sydney Gallego Gennaro Garcia Laura Giles Ryan Hale Tricia Lehti Marty Martin III Erica Maxwell An Nguyen, PsyD. Ashton Princell Mike Renaud Katherine Fairbanks Sam Colin Seale Kailey Thielen Jacob Valdez Nicole Wheatcroft, CPA Dr. Terry Woodbeck
Kate Wells