‘It’s where we learn together.’ After 13 momentous years, The Bishop’s CEO is retiring

The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature’s CEO of more than 13 years, Brynne Anne Besio, will retire this spring, the museum’s Board of Trustees announced on Wednesday.

Previously known as the South Florida Museum, the institution opened in Bradenton in 1947, and it has been a hub of natural science and history ever since.

Besio, 66, has overseen what is perhaps the most transformative period in its history.

The geologist has led the museum and its staff through changes both momentous and challenging since taking the helm in 2007. There was an economic downturn in 2008. An eventual rebound followed with dramatic increases in The Bishop’s attendance, financial resources and programming over the next decade.

There were major remodels and additions, the devastating loss of Snooty the manatee in 2017 and then a major rebranding in 2019, when the South Florida Museum officially became The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature.

And finally came the coronavirus pandemic, forcing a total shift in the museum’s operations over the past year.

“I’m just really proud of how far The Bishop has come and our impact in the community,” Besio said on Wednesday afternoon.

In the late 2000s, the museum CEO was also an integral part of forming a plan for Bradenton’s future intent on highlighting arts and culture. Besio served as part of the Bradenton Cultural and Business Alliance, a community-planning venture funded by The Knight Foundation. The project led to the creation of non-profit Realize Bradenton, and Besio was on the board that selected its longtime executive director, Johnette Isham.

Isham said Besio has “exemplified leadership” in the years that they’ve worked together since.

“Leadership,” Isham explained, “is the capacity to translate vision into meaningful results while displaying collaboration, courage and resiliency. I am grateful that our relationship will continue as she embarks on her new life adventure.”

At the time, Besio also heard a loud and clear mandate from the community for more live programs at the museum. Museum staff took those desires to heart and developed recurring events that blend learning and fun, like “Stelliferous Live” and “think + drink (science),” that continue to this day.

For Besio, other bright spots in her time at the helm of The Bishop include the opening of the Mosaic Backyard Universe, a hands-on, 3,290-square-foot learning environment for school-age kids inside the museum. Another is bringing the magic of a museum visit to all children and their loved ones, regardless of ability to pay an entry fee.

In recent years, The Bishop has entered programs that provide education resources to children who attend Title One schools and free museum entry to financially-challenged families.

“We really strive to serve the underserved community,” Besio said. “That’s a big pride point for me, and I know it is for the board and the staff. We live in this community, and we want to serve this community.”

The museum’s Parker Manatee Aquarium has also seen a great deal of success, providing rehabilitation and refuge to 33 manatees during Besio’s tenure and 42 manatees in total.

The facility has also seen tragedy. In 2017, Snooty the manatee, the oldest-known creature of its kind in the world and the official mascot of Manatee County, died two days after his 69th birthday. A subsequent investigation found that the death was preventable.

Besio notes the tragedy as one of the biggest challenges in her career. However, she says that the accident produced invaluable insight that The Bishop has used to inform its own manatee program and others in the animal rehabilitation community.

“The transparency, and learning from the experience, and sharing what we learned was a very important step for the museum,” Besio said.

Besio is a California native who was intrigued by the way the world works from a young age. Encouraged in her interest by her parents, she earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s in geology from the University of Colorado.

Her career included an early stint in the oil industry and experience at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California before she was drawn to the world of non-profit endeavors, working in the blood donation industry and for the Girl Scouts. Then she saw a job opening at a Bradenton museum.

“I can be back in science and bring my non-profit management skills,” Besio remembers thinking when she saw it. “And I ended up with the job.”

Besio said she hopes that experiences at The Bishop spark interest in the sciences for children — especially those who might not otherwise be encouraged.

Recalling her own challenges as a woman working in the sciences, Besio said, “There were more challenges in society 45 years ago than there are now, but things are not 100% better. I think we need to encourage women to be in science and math. I was encouraged to do it by my parents, and a lot of people don’t have that.

“Bryanne has been at the forefront of making sure that women are well-represented in the sciences,” said Remi Gonzalez, The Bishop’s communications director. “That is a big deal for us, that she has been such a leader.”

“And if you think about the underserved kids here, if they get exposed to science, when they get out of college, the STEM careers make better money than many,” Besio added.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a whole new slew of challenges at the museum. After a temporary closure, The Bishop reopened in May with new safety measures in place. New online and outdoor offerings have also been created. And, utilizing CARES Act funding, The Bishop is beginning to bring virtual field trip experiences into local classrooms until its safe to return in person.

The current CEO is full of enthusiasm about The Bishop’s future and its role in the community.

“There’s a great opportunity to think about education in general for all ages,” Besio said. “One of the things I think we do best here is champion people’s learning. We’re a comfortable place for people to come and ask questions about anything. As we set that tone of learning, and for being a favorite place to ask questions, I think the opportunity is to build the spaces to allow that to happen. And now it all has to be thought of with COVID in mind.”

Despite her excitement, the time has come to retire, Besio said.

“They are right at the start of beginning their new strategic plan,” Besio said. “It’s the time where the board and the leadership of the museum will come together and look at the direction, both short term and long term. It’s a great time to bring in new leadership so that they can work together with the board and the staff to build the future of the museum.”

Besio is scheduled to serve as CEO through April 1 as the museum’s board begins a national search to replace her. Besio will also serve as a consultant for several months once a new CEO is selected. If the search goes beyond Besio’s retirement date, then she will stay on as acting CEO until a replacement is found, according to the museum board.

Bessio’s retirement plans include taking up art, catching up on reading and spending more time at the beach. And Bessio says, you may just find her among the crowd at The Bishop, enjoying all the museum has to offer through the eyes of a visitor.

“I can’t wait for The Bishop to be fully open again,” Besio said. “Welcoming school groups. Piling the planetarium full of people to listen to a star talk. All those things we miss. The shared experiences. It’s where we learn together.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 4:34 PM.