Financial History Issue 121 (Spring 2017) | Page 6

THE TICKER

MUSEUM NEWS

Several years ago , our Board hired outside consultants to look at the Museum and offer strategic recommendations . One of their observations was that they were amazed that so small a staff could consistently produce so many first rate programs and exhibits . When looking at other museums in our peer group , they noted we were understaffed by a factor of at least two , if not three , times .

David J . Cowen | President and CEO

With a small staff , when we lose any of the core members it feels like losing part of the family . And one of our family members , Development Director Jeanne Driscoll , has retired after 10 years of service . We couldn ’ t be happier for Jeanne . She will be spending the summer on Martha ’ s Vineyard , and we wish her much comfort and happiness in her retirement years with her new husband .

One of my favorite historical quotes is : “ Victory has a hundred fathers and defeat is an orphan .” If anyone can take credit for being the parent of our annual Gala , it is Jeanne . Through her leadership , the Gala has grown and prospered over the years and has raised millions of dollars . She has managed it since its inception , and it is a testimony to her hard work that it became the incredible evening it currently is . Thank you , Jeanne .

Another of our prominent programs is our Evening Lecture Series , and we recently had a breakthrough event in that series . On April 12 , we live streamed a program in partnership with Bloomberg for

Education ( formerly Bloomberg University ). The event featured Professor Aswath Damodaran , a popular valuations professor at New York University , and more than 4,500 students globally tuned into the live stream . The video remains up on our YouTube channel ( YouTube . com / FinanceMuseum ), and you can find it in the “ Popular Uploads ” category .

Mark your calendars for our next live stream partnership with Bloomberg , which will occur on September 12 at 5:30 p . m . The speaker will be Harvard Business School Professor Mihir Desai on his latest book , The Wisdom of Finance : Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return .

On May 9 , at our evening lecture with New York Times bestselling author William Cohan , we announced the upcoming launch of our CEO video series , which will feature C-Suite executives from financial firms answering several questions under the umbrella question of : “ Why does Wall Street Matter ?” So far eight CEOs have signed on to participate , and the first video has been completed . We will release one video per month starting in the fall .

Lastly , on June 20 , we will again participate in the popular “ Night at the Museums ” program , which is part of the River to River Festival . There will be free admission and tours of our Museum from 4:00 – 8:00 p . m . It is a great way to view the exhibits after hours , and an opportunity to bring friends and colleagues who may never have visited . Current exhibits include “ For the Love of Money : Blacks on US Currency ,” “ Alexander Hamilton : Man with a Plan ,” “ America in Circulation : A History of US Currency Featuring the Collection of Mark R . Shenkman ” and “ Out of the Vault : Highlights from the Museum ’ s Collection .” If past years are any indication , this will be a very festive evening . We hope to see you there .

Under Development Director Jeanne Driscoll ’ s leadership , the Annual Gala has grown substantially , from raising $ 500,000 in 2008 to $ 1.25 million in 2017 to support the Museum ’ s educational mission .

Elsa Ruiz

4 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Spring 2017 | www . MoAF . org