Bronx Children's Museum's Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Denise Rosario Adusei as their new Executive Director as of March 6, 2023.

Founded in 2005, Bronx Children’s Museum is a multicultural museum for children ranging in age from infancy to around the fourth grade, serving approximately 16,000 children and caregivers annually, according to the museum's website.

The museum opened its permanent home in December 2022, after more than a decade of providing services to the youth of the city.

As a self-styled "museum without walls," they will seek to continue their programming inside and beyond the building, such as their "Museum On the Go!" purple bus acting as a mobile learning environment, carrying art exhibits and curriculum for inner-city children.

“We are delighted to have Denise take the helm of Bronx Children’s Museum,” said Carla Precht, the Museum’s Founding Executive Director in a statement.

“As an experienced early childhood education and community leader, Denise’s visionary and inclusive approach to children’s education and arts makes her a perfect choice to carry the vision of the Museum forward. I have no doubt that under her leadership the Museum will grow and flourish as an incubator for dreams and imagination,” she continued.

Adusei will succeed Precht, who served for 13 years, during which she successfully launched the first-ever children's museum facility in the Bronx.

Born in Brazil, Adusei speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and Cape Verdean Creole. She earned her Masters of Business Administration from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University.

With experience working with Community Resource Exchange and the Commissioner's Office for the Department of Health and mental Hygiene in nonprofit management consulting, Adusei brings extensive community partnerships, and experience in organizational development and as a social entrepreneur.

Adusei has experience as a social entrepreneur, and is widely-known for delivering a formative impact on children. She founded Peartree Preschool — an arts-focused educational program in Harlem — 12 years ago, graduating over 1,500 children from the art-centric educational program into elementary schools across New York City. 

Additionally, she has helped families secure over $8 million in tuition relief for private competitive programs, and was responsible for implementing the schools educational mission of prioritizing the creative and cognitive development of children aged two to five years old.

Alongside her other work, Adusei is also an author and the co-founder of Latinx Pitch and Black Creators HQ, two artists-developed organizations that are focused on increasing diverse representation in children's books. 

Adusei's work with them made her vital in growing both organizations and in helping hundreds of Black and Latino authors and illustrators navigate the children's book industry and secure publishing opportunities.

“This is a dream,” Adusei said about her new role with Bronx Children’s Museum. “As a young immigrant child, I always wondered what was inside museums and art institutions.  It was not until high school that I entered a museum for the first time as part of a school field trip.”

“My goal is to make all young children feel welcome and know that Bronx Children’s Museum is their creative home to learn about themselves and the world around them,” she concluded.