Henry L. Ferguson Museum Restructures Leadership Team; Welcomes Kate Stevens as Executive Director
By Faith Coolidge, Henry L. Ferguson Museum Board of Trustees Member
Looking ahead to its future, the Henry L. Ferguson Museum has revamped its leadership to add the position of executive director. The Museum is proud to announce that Kate Stevens has been named executive director.
The change, proposed by a planning team that included Museum Director Pierce Rafferty, allows Rafferty to focus on the parts of his role he loves most while handing off the essential but time-intensive administrative, fundraising, staff management and financial duties to the new executive director.
Says Museum President Elizabeth McCance, “Through our strategic planning process, we realized that the Museum would benefit greatly from separating the administrative duties from the programmatic and collections work, and we have taken this first staff restructuring step to implement our new strategic plan,”
Rafferty will now focus entirely on his passions—collections, exhibitions, programming and presentations—while Stevens will oversee administrative duties including staff and property management, fiscal management, resource development, donor relations and community outreach. In her role as executive director, Stevens is the official administrative head of the Museum and its Land Trust and is directly responsible to the Board of Trustees for the management of the Museum in support of its mission and strategic plan. The museum director will report to the executive director, but in many practical ways their positions are complementary and not overlapping.
As executive director, Stevens will identify and implement processes to support the great work being done by Rafferty and the dedicated, talented and engaged volunteers, staff and Board members.
“I am thrilled at the opportunity to advance the Museum’s mission of protecting, promoting and deepening our understanding of the island’s history and natural environment,” says Stevens, 53, who began working at the Museum in January 2023 as special projects coordinator. “The Museum is a cornerstone of the Island. Its collections, Land Trust properties and trail network, community programming and outreach nourish curiosity and engage imaginations.”
Stevens’s professional background includes work in both architecture and teaching. She earned her undergraduate degree in 1993 at Yale University as a double major in literature and architecture and received a Master of Architecture from the Yale School of Architecture in 2001.
Since becoming a year-round resident of Fishers Island in 2020, Stevens has been twice elected to the Fishers Island Waste Management District, currently serving as its chair. She has also volunteered on several committees, including the Fishers Island Zoning Committee. Stevens has longstanding ties to Fishers Island and moved to the island full-time to be closer to family.
In addition to Stevens, the Museum recently hired Matt Edwards to serve as the administrative assistant to the museum director and executive director. Edwards will be stepping into his role more fully in a few weeks, after he passes the baton to the new Walsh Park program director.
“I am very excited to work alongside Pierce, as well as the entire staff and Board, and help to continue the great work the Museum does connecting the history of Fishers to the entire community,” says Edwards, who has long been fascinated with Fishers Island history and has fond memories of learning about Fort Wright as a child during frequent visits to the Museum.
Edwards has been an active member of the island community. For the past eight years, he has been a member of the Fishers Island Fire Department, serving in several of its leadership roles. In addition, Edwards served as a member of the Fishers Island Board of Education from 2019 until 2025 and was an assistant boys and girls basketball coach at the Fishers Island School.
Edwards is filling the shoes of Mary Linda Strunk, who served as the Museum’s administrative assistant from 2014 until 2024. He will be central to the efficient operation of the Museum’s back office and will provide support to the Museum staff and Board committee members. He will also take on special projects in close collaboration with Museum Director Pierce Rafferty, including publications, collections and exhibitions.
“I am delighted to welcome Kate Stevens as our executive director,” says Museum President McCance. “Throughout the last two years, as a special projects manager, Kate has repeatedly demonstrated her organizational prowess and managerial skills. We are thrilled that she will lead the Museum, while Pierce Rafferty continues his excellent work. In addition, Matt Edwards has become a valuable member of the team and has already made a positive impact.”
To ensure consistent leadership and continued operational excellence and accomplish its goals, this restructuring will deliver dividends for the Museum and its membership both in the present and future.
