“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”—Dr. Seuss

While Liz Wilson, the executive director of The Mississippi Children’s Museum-Meridian, is bidding farewell to the Queen City, she smiles as she leaves after several years of engagement with MCM.

Wilson, her husband Rod, and three children, Malande, Trent, and Lillie, are relocating to Chattanooga, Tenn.

“We love Meridian, and we call it home,” said Wilson, who described leaving the city as bittersweet. “We have dear friends and family here, but we are excited about the new opportunities that await our family in Chattanooga,” she explains.

The vision of opening the center, a satellite campus of the statewide Mississippi Children’s Museum, began through the dedicated work of community volunteers Kim Bowers, Kimberly Denison, and Wilson in 2014.

Despite the obstacles of the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum opened in March 2021. Since then, it’s welcomed more than 80,000 children and families, representing 43 states, 73 Mississippi counties, and two foreign countries.

Just eight months after opening, the museum received statewide recognition for its tourism draw, bringing home the title of 2021 Travel Attraction of the Year at the Mississippi Governor’s Conference for Tourism.

The museum also received first place in four local award categories in The Meridian Star 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards.

“I am excited to see what the future holds” says Wilson. “Look at all the accomplishments we achieved in just 14 months. Our success far exceeds our wildest dreams. We have become a beacon for our community. I see a sense of pride, ownership, and responsibility. We are changing the lives of children every day.”

Wilson promises that MCM will have many exciting offerings on the horizon.

“We are moving to an after-school enrichment program like the one in Jackson. With 100 scholarships to Jackson Public School students, three schools saw 80% growth in test scores after a full year of after-school programs. This is phenomenal. These programs offered no worksheets, no homework, but inspired, engaged learning, a supplement to the school day. We are eager to be a complement to their instruction,” she explains.

Wilson leaves her position in the experienced hands of Barbara Zeller, who brings a background in grant writing, program development, volunteer coordination and marketing from her work at The Montgomery Institute and The Free Clinic of Meridian.

“I remember an early fundraising dinner where she and I were serving together,” Wilson recalled. “It seems like eons ago and yet, just like yesterday. This is a natural fit for the Museum. She has a love of our community and the commitment to continue transforming our space,” she adds.

Wilson emphasizes she will always consider Meridian her home.

“In fact, I’ve already signed up for the Midnight at the Museum committee,” she said. “So, we will ring in the New Year of 2023 just as we did for 2022 – here in Meridian.”

“I am so proud of our community for believing and committing to the museum,” she emphasized. “Some thought it couldn’t happen, but we are bigger and better than ever, thanks to our stewards who feel a vested interest in the work we are doing. It’s bittersweet to leave this place, but I move on, knowing it’s in capable hands.”