Rye School Boss Joins Westchester Children’s Museum Board
Outgoing Rye City School District Superintendent Dr. Eric Byrne will join the The Westchester Children’s Museum Board of Trustees. Byrne is retiring from the school district on June 30th. The museum announced the addition of Byrne and two other board members, expanding from 12 to 15 board members. Attendance has grown from 25,000 annually in 2022 to surpassing 100,000 in 2024. The Museum currently has over 2,000 members with 20% representing a family access membership for at-risk families. In 2024, over 10,000 students visited the museum.
The Westchester Children’s Museum is currently in the midst of a national search for an executive director. Previous Executive Director Thomas Sullivan, departed in December to lead a children’s museum on the West Coast. Katie Vernace, vice president of the board, is serving as interim executive director.
Newly elected board members are:
Dr. Eric Byrne, Norwalk, CT
Dr. Eric Byrne has served as Superintendent of the Rye City School District since 2017. Dr. Byrne holds an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership & Administration from Fordham University. He is a product of New York City public schools, beginning his career in education in New York City before transitioning to Westchester County. Prior to his Superintendency, Dr. Byrne served as an Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction, Elementary School Principal, Assistant Principal, & High School Science Teacher. Dr. Byrne is currently engaged with the Westchester Children’s Museum in Audit and Exhibit & Education Committees.
Meghan Drummond, PhD, Katonah, NY
Meghan Drummond is Director of Auditory Sciences, Regeneron Genetic Medicines at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Meghan founded the Regeneron Auditory Sciences research program at Regeneron, built a team of accomplished scientists, and developed a strategic portfolio of targets spanning discovery through clinical POC. Meghan’s work led to the first clinical trial for gene therapy to treat hearing loss in children. Prior to joining Regeneron Meghan spent four years at the NIH in the Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders. Outside of her traditional professional role at Regeneron, Meghan is involved in their science outreach and volunteer programs, mostly in the context of mentoring high school students and interns, judging science fairs, and running science labs in classrooms for the annual Regeneron “Day for Doing Good”. Meghan is currently engaged with the Westchester Children’s Museum in developing STEM programming for the Museum.
Marley Kamford, Greenwich, CT
Marley Kamford is currently Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer at JLL Partners, a middle-market private equity firm based in NY. She is a Connecticut native and has lived, attended school, and worked in the tri-state area her entire life. Marley started her career at a top executive search firm, Russell Reynolds Associates, before moving into talent-oriented leadership positions in public companies, start-ups, and financial services firms. In this role, Marley supports a wide range of management teams in their efforts to grow and enhance their businesses via excellence in talent. Marley has long had an interest in playing an active role in her community, especially when she can support youth-oriented initiatives. She is currently serving on the Executive Director Search Committee for the Westchester Children’s Museum.
The current slate of officers is Marvin Campbell, New Rochelle, President; Katie Vernace, Rye, Vice President; Carolyn Carr Spencer, West Harrison, Treasurer; and Denise Majeske Seedor, Larchmont, Secretary.
