EXCLUSIVE: Davenport’s Putnam Museum & Science Center Hires Two New VPs
EXCLUSIVE: The Putnam Museum and Science Center has expanded its leadership team to include a Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Leslie Klipsch, and Vice President of Museum Experiences, Ben Johnson.
Leslie Klipsch is the Putrnam’s new vice president of marketing and sales.
“The Putnam is emerging from the pandemic stronger than ever. Not only has the facility been re-imagined, but we’ve been able to rebuild our staff,” Putnam President/CEO Rachael Mullins said Thursday. “We’re pleased to welcome two new leaders to the Putnam who both bring an incredible expertise that will further our growth and relevance to our Quad-City community.”
Leslie Klipsch is a communicator, connector, author, and entrepreneur. She is a founder and co-owner of COWORKQC, a coworking space in downtown Davenport, and, until recently, was the Director of Communications for Empower Tanzania, a non-governmental organization working to sustainably improve quality of life in rural Tanzania.
Over the last decade, she helped launch a fair-trade brand, wrote and published hundreds of articles, and co-led a team of women that raised nearly a half million dollars for clean water solutions across the globe—an
Ben Johnson is the Putnam’s new vice president of museum experiences.
experience she chronicled in her book, “Mama Bear’s Manifesto: A Moms’ Group Guide to Changing the World,” published in 2017.
Klipsch has a bachelor’s in English from the University of Iowa and a master’s in writing from DePaul University. She loves life in Davenport with her husband and their three children.
On July 12, Klipsch posted on Facebook:
“After 15 years working for myself and patching together a beautiful bundle of engaging gigs, I’ve decided to spend my energy and focus on a single role a bit closer to home. A few weeks ago I started as the VP of Marketing & Sales at the Putnam Museum and Science Center and I am LOVING it! The people, the place, the potential…it is all so exciting and I feel really grateful for the opportunity to join an incredible team. I love museums, I love our community, and I love connecting people to goodness, growth, and opportunity! I’m only a few weeks in but I feel like this is going to be an really, really wonderful ride!”
Ben Johnson joins the Putnam team after spending the past five years as Executive Director of the Glenn Curtiss Museum in upstate New York, which focuses on aviation.
A native of eastern Nebraska, Johnson earned his bachelor’s in history and religion from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and a master of arts
The Putnam Museum and Science Center is at 1717 W. 12th St., Davenport.
in U.S. Military, Diplomatic, and Foreign Relations history from the University of Nebraska. He began his museum career as a college intern and has held a wide variety of positions over his nearly 20 years of museum experience.
Along with his wife Adrienne and their dog Buddy, Ben greatly appreciates his return to the Midwest and looks forward to exploring the culinary delights of the Quad-Cities, according to the Putnam release.
“From the facility and exhibits, to the programming and staff, the Putnam looks very different than it did in January 2020,” Mullins said. “I’m excited to see what these phenomenal career professionals will bring to the Putnam team for our next steps into the future.”
The Putnam Museum (1717 W. 12th St., Davenport) brings to life a sense of place, time and purpose to ignite human potential and inspire our diverse community to learn about and care for our world and all its people. For more than 150 years, guests have experienced the Putnam’s permanent exhibits like Unearthing Ancient Egypt as well as an array of programs and internationally recognized traveling exhibits. The Putnam is dedicated to helping guests discover and explore in a friendly and engaging atmosphere.
For more information about events and exhibits, visit putnam.org.
