Linda Silver (TX)
Linda Silver, Ed.D., joined the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in July 2017 as the Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer. Under her leadership, the Perot Museum celebrated its 10th anniversary year and expanded its impact to more than 11 million people since its opening. Remaining singularly focused on the Museum’s mission of inspiring minds through nature and science, Linda has delivered year-on-year surpluses allowing the Museum to make critical investments back into its staff, exhibit floors, and education programs, all the while ensuring financial aid remains available to allow every school in North Texas to benefit from the Perot Museum’s many science education initiatives. In 2020, Linda doubled down on the Museum’s commitment to advancing new knowledge by unveiling a state-of-the-art science and collections facility which houses the Museum’s paleontology team, their laboratories and 150,000 scientific specimens.
Prior to leading the Perot Museum, Linda worked for the government of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates where she served as associate director of the Technology Development Committee. While in this position, she oversaw the creation and growth of informal science education initiatives designed to build a sustainable and diversified knowledge economy aimed at integrating the emirate into the global ecosystem. Prior to this position, she spent eight years as the president and CEO of Great Lakes Science Center – one of the nation’s leading science and technology centers. She led the center in its first-ever strategic planning process and achieved a financial turnaround, taking the institution from operating losses to a balanced budget and creating a 75% earned-revenue business model. Linda began her museum career at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where she spent 13 years in positions of increasing responsibility which culminated in the role of vice president of Education and Guest Relations for the 5 museums that comprised the NHMLAC family of museums.
She holds degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles – Bachelor of Arts; Pepperdine University – Master of Business Administration; the University of Southern California — Doctorate of Education and Harvard Business School – Executive Education Program. Linda is a passionate and experienced museum leader with an unparalleled track record of delivering exceptional science education, civic and community engagement, and operational excellence.