Chevy Humphrey, CEO, Griffin Museum of Science and Industry (img_9481-1024×683-chevy-humphrey)
Women and Adversity:
Dr. Chevy Humphrey
President and Chief Executive Officer
Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Forbes 50 Over 50
Dr. Chevy Humphrey is the first Black American woman to become president and chief executive officer of the largest science museum in the western hemisphere, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. It was renamed the Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry on May 19, 2024 when the billionaire Griffin donated $125 million to the museum.
As a child, Humphrey (She explains why she’s named Chevy in the first YouTube reference below) wanted to improve the status of Blacks, believing education was the key. She conducted classes in her garage so the neighborhood children could learn what she was learning at the parochial school. Her dream job was to be CEO of a nonprofit organization.
Humphrey, named in Forbes 50 Over 50 list, became the head of the Chicago museum in January 2021 and is praised for having management and entrepreneurial skills. She was president and CEO of the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix from 2005 until accepting her post in Chicago. The assets of the Phoenix institution grew from $3 million to $42 million during her tenure.
She serves as board chair for American Alliance of Museums, the world’s largest museum association. She is former board chair of Association of Science and Technology Centers, which serves more than 500 science centers in more than 50 countries. She was the first person to receive that association’s award for service.
Her host of awards include:
- 2001 inaugural class of Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Fellows, the only non-CEO selected at the time
- 2017 Mentor of the Year by Phoenix Business Journal, the first time the award was granted
- 2020 Athena Award from Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce
- 2023 Notable Woman in STEM and Who’s Who by Crain’s Chicago Business
- Visionary Leader by Women’s National Basketball Association
Bio
- Grew up in Houston, Texas
- Bachelor of Science degree in business with a concentration in marketing from University of Phoenix
- Master of Business Administration degree with specializations in innovation entrepreneurship and marketing from Northeastern University in Boston
- Executive Education certifications from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Stanford University Graduate School of Business and Yale School of Management
- Doctorate in business administration from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix
- Honorary Doctorate of Science and Technology from University of Advancing Technology, Tempe
Career
- Manager at a Baskin Robbins
- While in college worked for the Phoenix Symphony
- Fundraiser for University of Houston
- Fundraiser for University of Texas, Austin
- Director of Development for Phoenix Symphony
- 1998 – director of development, Arizona Science Center
- 2005-2020 – CEO of Arizona Science Center
Personal life
- Divorced, has a daughter
More information
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlHpEiYFXno
lincoln-road.com/leadership-story/chevy-humphrey
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPX7nItMFzY
voyagephoenix.com/interview/life-work-chevy-humphrey
My ebooks available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com:
Honoring 23 Black Women, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists
