By Steve Seepersaud
After decades of work in the education field — serving as an elementary school teacher,
deputy superintendent, superintendent and consultant — Brenda Myers, EdD '04, is still
excited to see kids learn. These days, she's finding her joy outside the traditional
classroom setting as executive director for the Discovery Center of the Southern Tier
in Binghamton.
"I'm an instructional design specialist," Myers said. "I had tried moving into the retirement phase, and found I'm not good at retirement, so I was teaching online because I could do it from home, and I was consulting. By chance, the Discovery Center was looking for an executive director, which I found interesting because of my background in education, instructional design and finance. I'm really passionate about places for children to play and learn, build curiosity, and I want to help kids feel really good about their learning."
The Discovery Center is Binghamton's only hands-on children's museum. It exceeds 22,000 square feet with more than 30 exhibits created by and for kids. Situated within Ross Park on the city's South Side, the center also has a Story Garden, built in 2007 with assistance from ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ students.
Myers joined the Discovery Center a little more than a year ago and has accelerated a number of projects that were initiated prior to her arrival. For example, on Feb. 1, 2023, the museum will open a three-month run of the Bug Squad, made possible through a partnership with the Omaha Children's Museum in Nebraska. This will be the Discovery Center's first visiting exhibit.
"Exhibits like the Weis grocery store and Action News set are staples at the Discovery Center and people want to see the things they value over time," Myers said. "But they also want things that are new and different."
"Our work is based on access, sustainability and excellence. We want to offer free nights to families so more people can join us. We have a new 25-year lease with the city, because we live in Ross Park, so we want to look at where we are headed for the next 25 years. And, we continue to look at best practices in museums. Grant writing and partnerships will help us carry out our mission of excellence."
Engaging ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ students through internships is also a priority for Myers. So is ensuring the center is culturally relevant. She says the Discovery Center is one of just five museums in the country selected by the Association of Children's Museums to host an exhibit highlighting cultural celebrations of China, South Korea and Vietnam.
"We're an arts institution, and we embed arts in all our work, but we're also a cultural institution. We want to make sure children coming to the Discovery Center see themselves in our exhibits."