The former chairman of the Houston Museum District Association, Joel A. Bartsch has been heavily involved in the museum sector for upwards of three decades. A graduate of Concordia University, he earned his bachelor’s degree there in seminary studies and a master’s degree in the history of science from Rice University, where his is currently a doctoral candidate in that discipline. Over the course of an extensive career in museum posts, he has served at such institutions as the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, the Texas Memorial Museum, the Lyman House Memorial Museum, and the California State Mining & Mineral Museum. Joel Bartsch served as curator of Earth sciences at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), and in 2004, became its president and CEO.
At HMNS, Mr. Bartsch is responsible for creating strategies that align the museum vision and mission, providing inspirational leadership throughout the institution, and collaborating with the museum board to develop strategy. Since accepting this current role, Joel A. Bartsch has not only returned the museum to profitability by renovating its facilities and creating engaging exhibits; he has also doubled the museum’s ticketed attendance and annual earned income. Further, he managed several construction projects that added more than 200,000 square feet of exhibition space and educational areas.
