environment that feels truly welcoming to all families.
This year, CMC has invested in operational systems to best position the Museum for long-term growth. We celebrated the first year of our new Bubbles exhibit, created with support from University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s. A new point-ofsale system was launched to improve customer experience and streamline data management. We welcomed six new members to our Board of Directors, and progressed our Strategic Plan by formalizing internal committees including a newly formed Access committee. As we lay the building blocks to strengthen our foundation, we’ve began to dream of the new heights we will reach. We can’t wait to take you along on this journey in 2024 and beyond!
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE COMMUNITY PARTNERS Let’s Dream Bigger!
2023 ANNUAL REPORT
2023 marks six years in our new home. Over these years, our walls have been filled with the joy of 765,936 children and families. We’ve witnessed thousands of “aha!” moments, celebrated milestone successes and record attendance, navigated a global pandemic, and forged countless core memories with our community’s youngest learners.
As we plant roots in our diverse community, we continue to dream bigger. The Museum as we know it today is home to eight interactive exhibits and fills 36,000 sq. ft. of our historic facility. Believe it or not, the building still has 24,000 sq. ft. of unused space waiting to be re-imagined! The Museum has begun to chart this vision using data and input from our guests and stakeholders as a road map. As the planning process unfolds, we are looking excitedly towards the future and all of the possibilities ahead!
Maria Campanelli
Executive Director
Holly Little Board Chair
In the first years of life, children’s brains are establishing billions of neural connections! Experiences in early childhood play a crucial role in this development. Children need every chance they can get to embrace their curiosity, explore new environments, and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
CMC offers a variety of free and reduced admissions programs to ensure that the magic of a Museum visit is within reach for all children. To help sustain and grow these programs, CMC created the Wonder Fund. In 2023, this fund provided free programs for low-income students, free and reduced admission for low-income guests, and clean and safe visits for special needs families.
Our super powers are mightiest when we work as a team! Community partnerships help us reach farther, listen closer, and grow stronger. In 2023, CMC partnered with Northeast Ohio Network to provide free memberships to families with special needs children, welcoming 4,000 guests.
Our CMC Center Stage series welcomed 11 local artists, presenting 30 free performances. We also had the opportunity to collaborate with The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, LGBT Community Center, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, and Playhouse Square, expanding resources for families across our region.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
GUS ARMBRUSTER Armbruster Companies
ASHLEY BASILE OEKEN Engage! Cleveland
DOREEN CAHOON Early Childhood Advocate
MARIA CASHY SECRETARY Consultant
MORGAN CONNOR The Connor Foundation
HANNAH DELIS Swagelok
SHARON EL-AMIN WILLIAMS Dealer Tire
KHADIJAH FAIR Cleveland Transformation Alliance
JERRY FRANKLIN TREASURER Preformed Line Products
MATTHEW GEIGER EY
TIM GERSPACHER, ASST. TREASURER PricewaterhouseCoopers
TAMARA HAGERTY Parker Hannifin
JORDAN M. JAVIER UH Rainbow Ahuja Center
HOLLY LITTLE BOARD CHAIR Attorney
JENNIFER LOPEZ Flagstar Bank, N.A.
MIKE MARCHETTI Startup Business Advisor
JOSEPH MUSKA Synthomer Inc.
OLLIE PANNELL FirstEnergy Corporation
JERRY PEIFFER Cleveland Clinic
GABE RHOADS Lubrizol Corporation
ELLIE RIAL Holden Forests & Gardens
BENJAMIN SCHLATHER Deloitte
WILLIAM R. STEWART JR. Jones Day
JAMES VERDI VICE CHAIR Jackson Lewis, P.C.
MATTHEW YANOSKO Eaton
ANDREA PARK ZADD Crestmont Automotive
THERESE ZDESAR Qualcare, LLC
SENIOR STAFF
MARIA CAMPANELLI Executive Director
HATTIE KOTZ Director of Marketing & Development
SHANNON POST Director of Visitor Services
KELSEY TARASE Director of Education
