Fiscal Note
No appropriation is required.
Title
Resolution thanking Ruth Shelly for her many contributions to the City of Madison and wishing her well in her future endeavors
Body
WHEREAS, Ruth Shelly returned to her native state in 2003 to become the Executive Director of Madison Children's Museum at a critical time in the museum's history; and
WHEREAS, Madison Children's Museum was in its third rental location, a small space on State Street, and had been searching for a larger space in the downtown area; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Shelly led the effort to identify and purchase a building on Madison's Capitol Square, and to raise over $10 million to renovate this 1929 department store and create exhibits for the new museum, tripling public space and incorporating such features as a fully accessible green roof; and
WHEREAS, the new Madison Children's Museum opened in August, 2010, and since then the museum has doubled its annual attendance and nearly quadrupled its membership; and
WHEREAS, the new museum has received national recognition, including a number of awards, most notably the National Medal for Museum and Library Service in 2011; and
WHEREAS, in addition to her contributions to the Madison community as Executive Director of the Madison Children's Museum, Ruth Shelly has served Madison as President of the Madison Rotary Foundation, a board member of Downtown Madison, Inc., the Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, and as an advisor with the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery Town Center and the Wisconsin Science Festival; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Shelly is leaving Madison to pursue new opportunities as Executive Director of the Portland Children's Museum;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mayor and Common Council of the City of Madison thank Ruth Shelly for all that she has done to make Madison a better place and wish her continued success in her new position.