The Board of Trustees of the Chicago Academy of Sciences / Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (”Nature Museum”) announced that they have elected, by unanimous vote, Erin Amico as President & CEO of Chicago’s oldest museum and foremost scientific institution, beginning July 18, 2022. A Chicago native, Amico will be the first African American CEO to lead the 165-year-old institution. Amico succeeds Deborah Lahey who announced in September that she would be retiring at the end of June 2022, after 12 years as President & CEO. An eight-member Search Committee, led by Trustees David Hackett and Susan D. Whiting, conducted a rigorous nine-month search in partnership with Koya Partners. Amico will join the Nature Museum from P33, a nonprofit driving inclusive growth for Chicago’s tech sector, where she serves as Chief Marketing Officer. At P33, Amico partners with corporate, civic, and academic leaders across Chicagoland to direct the strategy and positioning of Chicago’s tech brand in partnership with World Business Chicago. She has been responsible for reaching over 1 million tech professionals nationwide through transformational digital efforts. Amico graduated from Latin School of Chicago and Middlebury College. She also earned Master of Business Administration degrees from both Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management in marketing and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School in entrepreneurship.

Photo Credit: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum