10 Reflections from Alissa's First 100 Days

The Bakken Museum President & CEO Alissa Light

It's been an honor and joy to serve as president & CEO of The Bakken Museum for the past three + months. As I continue to learn, listen, and connect to the museum's mission and work, it's a privilege to take a moment to reflect with gratitude on this quirky, unique, impactful, and inspiring place. To that end, here are my top 10 reflections from my first 100 days.

1. We're a joy generator - most days, you can hear young people squealing, laughing, yelling, and having a really fun time, which makes it impossible not to get fired up about what we do. In fact, we've regularly ranked the number one field trip site by public schools across the state, and we reach upwards of 40,000 young people a year through our experiential, irreverent, and high-impact STEM programs!

2. We're great at partnerships - we have a great reputation as a programmatic and institutional partner, kudos to our incredible staff. That's a strong place to build from for growth and increased impact –especially for our work in communities under-represented in STEM, including BIPOC communities, immigrants, women, LGBTQ people, and people from rural areas. Whether it's partnering with St. Paul Urban Tennis for the ultimate combo summer camp (STEM & Tennis! Heck yes!) or delivering residencies, weeks of wonder, and auditorium shows to schools around the state, we know the good stuff happens in authentic partnership with other people and organizations.

3. We are powered by incredible people - we have an exceptional team of people who are passionate, funny, invested, and uniquely positioned to advance this work. From theater professionals to science teachers, museum leaders to fundraising professionals, events aficionados to artists, and beyond we're a community museum with amazing people at the heart of everything we do.

4. Right time, right place - we have developed programs, grown our museum experience, expanded our mission and vision, and committed to centering accessibility, inclusion, belonging, and connection in everything we do so that we can meaningfully transform the future of STEM right now.

5. A museum of multitudes - we are so many things to so many people, and that is a superpower that feels so expansive. Whether you love the medicinal gardens and restored wetlands, the quirky historic mansion and accompanying ghost story, the Spark and Mary and Her Monster Exhibits, or just love getting special gifts in the gift shop, we're an intergenerational museum with so many ways to engage.

6. Quirky is a good thing - The Bakken Museum is a little weird, a little quirky, a little on the fringe and this is a wonderful asset. You've got to be a little quirky to try something new, see a different way of doing something, and innovate. You can feel that at The Bakken. Let's get quirky. 

7. Failure is a virtue - we are uniquely positioned to tell stories about failure and help people exercise their failure muscles -- not only as a necessary aspect of the innovation process but as a truly transformative practice. I am inspired by this practice on the regular.

8. We stand on the shoulders of giants but also just regular people - titans of STEM, the innovative geniuses of the past, Earl Bakken, were weird kids who built stuff in their garages and burned themselves with soldering irons many times. This is inspiring to kids, young and old, and an important truth to highlight to our next generation.

9. We make memories - The Bakken Museum is an indelible experience for 4th graders, families, wedding couples, Medtronic employees, people with pacemakers, science teachers, artists, voters, researchers, our community. We are a part of people's lives and some of their most memorable moments and experiences. What a treasure to cherish.

10. Change is the name of the game - we're here to make the world a better place, to inspire a passion for innovation, for change. We know nothing innovative comes from doing things the same way just because. Change in responsive connection to our communities is where we're at and where we'll continue to be. We look forward to seeing you there ❤.

If you haven't been to the museum lately, please stop by and see what's new. If you'd like to learn more about our programs, including camps, please check out our website for more information. If you're interested in connecting, I would love to meet you! We are a people-powered place, and each connection we hold is filled with endless possibilities.

In whatever way you connect, thank you for being part of The Bakken Museum community. 

Alissa Light 
President & CEO 
The Bakken Museum