Betsy Bennett

Under the leadership of Dr. Betsy Bennett, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences grew into the largest natural history museum in the Southeast. The Museum is now the most visited in the state — attracting an average of  900,000 visitors each year — and is always a top field trip location for teachers and students. Prior to coming to the Museum, Dr. Bennett served as a consultant at the Triangle Children’s Museum and taught high school and middle school science and math. Having helped open Discovery Place in Charlotte, Dr. Bennett first came to the Triangle in 1990 with a vision — helping raise $71 million to open the museum ten years later — a place where young and old alike continue to learn.

Two decades later, Dr. Bennett’s work continued to pay off most recently with the opening of the three story, 80,000 square foot Nature Research Center in 2012. Dr. Bennett currently works as Strategic Counsel for Capital Development Services and also serves as a board member of the Kidzu Children’s Museum, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Triangle Land Conservancy, and the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park.