For Immediate Release:
July 11, 2022
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Media Contacts:
Sarah Martin
C: 315-225-0256
Emily Klamm
Digital Marketing Manager
O: 508-347-0205
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Old Sturbridge Village
President & CEO Jim Donahue receives 2022 Leaders & Achievers Award from Providence Business News
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Sturbridge, M.A. – Providence Business News announced honorees for the 2022 Leaders & Achievers on Friday, July 8, and Old Sturbridge Village President & CEO, Jim Donahue, is one of 21 winners.
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President & CEO Jim Donahue, seen speaking at a recent event at Coggeshall Farm Museum.
Photo by John Collins Photography.
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When the Trustees of Old Sturbridge Village hired Jim Donahue in 2007, the museum was facing financial hardships and they entrusted Donahue to put the Village back on course. Since taking over as President, Donahue has led the institution through a renaissance by increasing attendance, fundraising and creating revenue from special programs. He also brought back costumed historians, reopened the museum’s restaurant division, expanded holiday programming and established an immersive theater program. As the largest living history museum in New England, Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) has been consistently recognized as one of New England’s most important cultural attractions.
Donahue led the living history museum to a strategic partnership to sustain and expand living history in New England with Coggeshall Farm Museum. Coggeshall, located in Bristol, RI, interprets life on a marsh farm in the 1790s. Like many nonprofits, it employed only a handful of staff and has faced struggles in building capacity and audiences. With this new and transformational partnership in place, OSV saw an opportunity to manage Coggeshall Farm Museum’s back-office functions like accounting, fund raising, marketing and human resources for a management fee that was significantly less than what the Farm would have to pay to employ these functions individually, helping to preserve yet another invaluable living history museum in the region. This year the Farm is back to hosting field trips, special programming on weekends, and housing animals and the museum will be hosting a Gala event this coming Fall.
“Receiving this special honor alongside fellow inspiring leaders is an achievement in itself. My passion has been, and continues to be, creating a space for people to have unique experiences that create life-long learners. I am honored to be part of providing exploration of history alongside our staff, trustees, donors, members and area residents. It truly takes a Village to make a vision a reality, and we are fortunate to have that support at OSV,” Donahue stated.
At Old Sturbridge Village, Donahue spearheaded the reopening of the Museum Education building and its programs, which welcomed back school field trips, serving thousands of New England school students each year and brought a charter school to Old Sturbridge Village in 2017. Old Sturbridge Academy serves children Kindergarten through 8th grade from 12 surrounding towns, the Village is their home for innovative and experiential learning. It is the first public charter school located in a museum in the Commonwealth.
Jim Donahue and his 2022 Leaders & Achievers peers will be honored at a ceremony at Aldrich Mansion on August 18. Honorees will be featured in a special section of Providence Business News published on September 3.
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About Old Sturbridge Village
Old Sturbridge Village, first opened to the public in 1946, is one of the country's oldest and largest living history museums, celebrating life in early New England from 1790-1840. It is the largest living history museum in the Northeast, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021. Each year, more than 250,000 visitors interact with costumed historians, experience up-close demonstrations of early American trades, and meet heritage breed farm animals. Situated on 200 scenic acres, the Village is a collection of more than 40 historic buildings - including homes, meetinghouses, trade shops, working farms, restaurants, shops and three water-powered mills.
Located just off the Massachusetts Turnpike and Routes I-84 and 20 in Sturbridge, Mass., Old Sturbridge Village is open year-round, but days and hours vary seasonally. Daily admission is: $28 for adults, $26 for seniors, $14 for College Students, $14 for children ages 4-17, with children 3 and under admitted free. Admission includes free parking. Village Members receive free standard daytime admission. For details, visit https://www.osv.org/plan-your-visit/.
Old Sturbridge Village is also the managing partner of Coggeshall Farm Museum in Bristol, R.I. Members at OSV receive reciprocal membership at Coggeshall Farm Museum.
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