Boston Children’s Museum Taps DSG | Koya To Lead CEO Search
January 6, 2026 – DSG | Koya has been selected by Boston Children’s Museum (BCM) to lead in its search for a new president and CEO. Elizabeth Lombard and Angie Sessoms are leading the assignment.
The next leader will build upon more than a century of impact, innovation, and joyful learning. This leadership transition comes at a moment of organizational strength. BCM is financially stable, guided by a highly skilled senior leadership team, and supported by an engaged board of trustees.
The CEO will inherit a mission-driven organization with a clear strategic direction, a strong national and international reputation, a robust balance sheet, and a talented staff grounded in the values of equity, curiosity, and inclusive learning. They will serve as a public voice for children and families, a champion of accessible learning, and a steward of an enduring community resource. The CEO serves as the strategic, operational, and cultural leader of Boston Children’s Museum (BCM), the second oldest and one of the most influential children’s museums in the world.
The CEO is responsible for advancing the institution’s mission: engaging children and families in joyful discovery experiences that instill an appreciation of our world, develop foundational skills, and spark a lifelong love of learning, according to DSG | Koya. They are also responsible for ensuring the sustainability of the organization, so BCM will continue to be a welcoming, imaginative, child–centered learning environment that supports diverse families in nurturing their children’s creativity and curiosity for generations to come.
The ideal candidate will bring strategic vision, operational excellence, fundraising experience, and deep commitment to equity and joyful learning. The CEO will be a forward-thinking visionary strategist who can articulate and execute a compelling vision for the future of Boston Children’s Museum. This leader will connect early learning, community engagement, visitor experience, and organizational growth into a cohesive long-term strategy. They will ensure alignment across the organization, foster innovation, and respond effectively to the evolving needs of children and families.
Founded in 1913 at the forefront of the progressive education movement, BCM helped shape modern ideas of child-centered, experiential learning. For more than a century, the museum has enriched the lives of millions of children, caregivers, and educators. Through its four-part operating model—working in the museum, in schools, in communities, and in homes—BCM reaches more than 500,000 children and caregivers each year with our exhibits, family-friendly programs, learning kits, curricula, professional development, and playgroups.
Family of Recruiting Firms
DSG Global is a family of recruiting firms serving specialized sectors. The firm was founded almost five decades ago by Judith M. von Seldeneck for the express purpose of placing diverse candidates in client organizations. It is today the largest U.S. female-owned and founded firm in the executive recruitment industry. It is comprised of a combination of specialty practices with deep industry expertise under industry recognized brands, including Alta Associates, BioQuest, Koya Partners, Grant Cooper, and Storbeck Search.
Related: DSG | Koya Tapped by ASPCA for CFO Search
Ranked as a top 10 U.S. executive search firm, with a presence across 36 countries through its partnership with AltoPartners, DSG Global combines global scale with local insight to deliver people-centered solutions that propel clients forward. With a team of dedicated experts across sectors like healthcare, education, and non-profits, DSG Global harnesses industry-specific expertise, functional depth, and market foresight to address today’s most complex challenges.
In 2019, Koya was acquired by DSG. With the combination of revenues and resources, they now represent one of the largest non-profit and higher education practices in the executive search industry. Koya’s specialization in mission-driven search, primarily with non-profit and higher education clients, complements Diversified’s own major education, non-profit, and arts and culture practices, as well as the firm’s healthcare services, board of directors, life sciences, industrial, and digital, media, entertainment, and sports practices.
Ms. Lombard is a managing director at Koya Partners. With over two decades of recruitment expertise in both the non-profit and private sectors, she brings tenured experience with the full lifecycle of executive search, from needs assessment and candidate development to client management. Ms. Lombard specializes in mission-driven leadership searches and philanthropy executive searches for the firm’s clients nationwide. She has recruited CEOs, presidents, executive directors, CFOs, vice presidents, and other senior leaders for a diverse range of mission-driven organizations.
Ms. Lombard has expertise working with many mission-based organizations including conservation and environmental, reproductive rights, social justice, healthcare, and education organizations. She has directed leadership level searches for The Trust for Public Land, American Association for the Advancement of Science, International Women’s Health Coalition, Innovations for Poverty Action, The Philadelphia Zoo, ActBlue, National Women’s Law Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, NASTAD, Last Mile Health, and Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, in addition to other select non-profit organizations throughout the country.
Ms. Semmons has partnered with colleagues to conduct searches across a range of sectors with the full lifecycle of executive search, from needs assessment and candidate development to client management. Integral to all her work is a passion and commitment to social impact and equity. She has experience working with many mission-based organizations including conservation and environmental, reproductive rights, social justice, and education organizations. Prior to joining Koya|Diversified Search Group, Ms. Semmons served as director of alumni talent initiatives for Teach for America where she recruited aspiring school leaders and created programming, professional development, and networking opportunities for alumni.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
