Created in 1976, the Lake Wales History Museum is a long-standing historical museum located in Lake Wales, Florida. Long vacant and in need of historic preservation, the organization converted the 1928 Atlantic Coast Line Railroad station into the area’s historical museum. The Mediterranean-style train station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is still home to the museum today.

The Lake Wales History Museum is looking for an energetic, passionate, and creative individual to lead our growing small museum. The museum was reorganized in 2015, and today it is a hub of heritage experiences for the community and visitors. A strategic vision was created in 2018 that refocused the museum on visitor and history-centric programming, branding, and name change for the museum’s revitalization, financial stabilization, expanded programming, and historic preservation. The museum has experienced tremendous growth and success with over $350,000 awarded in new grants and contributions in the past four years. The museum transitioned to a non-profit organizational structure within a new, secure City of Lake Wales-Museum partnership. In January of 2021, the museum opened the newly restored 1916 Seaboard Airline Freight Station as the Mimi Hardman Collections and Research Center, a project that took more than two years to create, plan, fundraise, and restore during the height of the pandemic. This restored building now houses the museum’s 25,000-item collection permanently, is open for public research, and is dedicated to the museum’s late founder, Mimi Hardman.

The Executive Director serves as the creative and fiscal leader of the Lake Wales History Museum. The Executive Director provides the creative vision and fiscally-minded leadership and is responsible for the achievements of the Lake Wales History Museum. The Executive Director will be responsible for continuing to carry out the museum’s strategic vision, which culminates with the museum’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2026. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors.

Salary Range: $55,000 – $60,000/year