Jessie Goodwin

Jessie Goodwin has been promoted to executive director of The Children's Museum of Wilmington, according to a news release.

Goodwin had been acting executive director since last August. She joined the museum in 2019 as the education, membership and volunteer coordinator and was promoted to director of operations in 2021.

"We interviewed outside candidates but finally realized that our top candidate was already in the job," said Harriett Loweth, Board President. "Jessie has done extraordinary work in the past few months, particularly in the hiring of new professional staff. Under the direction of Jessie and her team, admissions, memberships, and profitability are at an all-time high. We couldn't be more pleased with her performance."

Goodwin graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin Platteville in 2012 with bachelor degrees in history, German education and social sciences comprehensive with an emphasis in middle and secondary education. She taught third through eighth grades at St. Jerome Catholic School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from 2014 to 2016.

Additionally, Godwin has a master's degree in history with a concentration in public history from UNCW. From 2016 to 2018, she was a teaching assistant in the university's history department. Before that, she was an archivist for Historic Robeson Inc. in Lumberton and weekend manager at the Bellamy Mansion.

In 2022, Goodwin documented the history of the three historic buildings that comprise the Children's Museum on Orange Street, resulting in a series of panels highlighting the history of the museum complex. One of these buildings, St. John's Lodge, has been in continuous service since it was built for St. John's Chapter of the Masons in 1805.