The Strong National Museum of Play today announced that President and CEO G. Rollie Adams has announced his plan to retire effective December 31, 2016, and will become president and CEO emeritus at The Strong, assuming a consulting role and assisting with fundraising and advice on strategic museum development. Concurrent with this announcement, the museum named Steve M. Dubnik as its next president and CEO.
A press release stated that Adams's 30 year tenure oversaw "extraordinary and sustained growth" at the museum as The Strong developed into a world-renowned cultural institution and the first collections-based museum anywhere devoted solely to the critical role of play in learning and human development.
Adams oversaw two major building expansions, ultimately nearly doubling the museum's footprint to 285,000 square feet -- making it one of the country's largest history museums -- and assembling the world's largest, most comprehensive collection of toys, games, and historic material related to play. He also initiated fellowship programs that fund scholarly play research, and coordinated partnerships with such organizations as Sesame Workshop and the Toy Industry Association.
The Strong has become a major economic driver for the Rochester region under Adams's leadership, annually attracting more than 500,000 guests from across the United States and from dozens of foreign countries, and employing more than 250. In addition, Adams has helped establish a variety of community access programs and other community collaborations that make The Strong broadly accessible to thousands of Rochester-area children and families who might otherwise not have an opportunity to experience the museum.
Dubnik has been a member of The Strong's Board of Trustees since 2000 and became chairperson in 2014. He resigned this position in July to pursue the position of museum chief executive. As a long-time member of the museum Executive and Finance Committees, Dubnik is familiar with museum operations and strategic vision, says the provided info. He is CEO of Lexifone Communications Systems (a fully automatic voice translation and transcription service company with a worldwide customer base), and brings to the President and CEO position 30 years of entrepreneurial experience that includes leadership roles with telecommunications and technology start-ups.
