On this episode of Journeys to Leadership, join President Zak as she delves into the remarkable leadership journey of Jennifer Grant Warner, the President and CEO of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. Jennifer shares her unique path from a small-town upbringing to leading one of Atlanta's premier science institutions. Learn how she has transformed the museum’s programming, guided it through the pandemic, and spearheaded innovative STEM initiatives, all while staying rooted in empathy, curiosity, and community impact.
If you’re passionate about leadership, nonprofit management, or the intersection of science and education, this episode is for you. Jennifer’s insights on taking informed risks, evolving organizational strategies, and fostering a culture of innovation provide invaluable lessons for leaders at all levels.
Creators & Guests
What is Journeys to Leadership?
Journeys to Leadership assembles the collective wisdom of local, national, and international women leaders representing a cross-section of industries and organizations that drive our world. From career trajectory and turning points to game-changing wins, the Journeys to Leadership podcast will enlighten and inspire emerging and seasoned leaders through authentic and engaging stories that will enrich their own leadership journeys.
This podcast is produced by Agnes Scott Alumna, Sydni Michelle Perry '21.
Jennifer Grant Warner
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Jennifer Grant Warner: [00:00:00] Women, I think, um, we're good listeners and I think we lead with curiosity and empathy. And I think that serves us well in a natural science institution because that's where curiosity really is, um, is a through line for us.
President Zak: Hello and welcome to Agnes Scott College's podcast, Journeys to Leadership, where we explore the paths of inspiring women leaders from around the globe.
President Zak: I'm Leo Kiryazak. President of Agnes Scott and the host of this podcast. I hope that our guest stories, not only encourage you, our listeners and leaders of today and tomorrow, but they also inspire you as you take the next steps in your own journey.
President Zak: Today's guest began her career at Fernbank in 1999. Now she's the president and CEO. [00:01:00] However, she previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Programming Officer, Senior Vice President and Chief Programming Officer, and Assistant Chief Operating Officer. At Fernbank, she has been deeply involved with many of the museum's major milestones, leading the museum through a successful reaccreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, an achievement held by fewer than 4 percent of the museums nationwide.
President Zak: Unveiling Fernbank's newest permanent exhibit, Fantastic Forces, which delivers important STEM content with interaction explorations, and most recently, successfully guiding the museum through a pandemic. As Atlanta's science and nature experience, Fernbank serves more than 400, 000 visitors annually with its unique array of programming.
President Zak: Jennifer has played a key role in the development of signature educational programs that fulfill Fernbank's mission and unique [00:02:00] environmental legacy. She holds a Master's of Business Administration degree from Georgia State University, which she earned while working full time at Fernbank, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky in History.
President Zak: She was recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2004 as an emerging leader in the inaugural class of Atlantis 40 Under 40. Jennifer is a champion of Fernbank's mission to ignite a passion for science, nature, and human culture through exploration and discovery with a proven commitment to education, dynamic experiences, and innovative programming.
President Zak: Please join me in welcoming the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Jennifer Grant Warner. Thank you for joining us, Jennifer. We're so excited to have you.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Thank you, Leigh. It's great to be with you today. I appreciate you coming out.
President Zak: [00:03:00] Absolutely. It's so exciting to have you on the show.
President Zak: As you know, leadership doesn't just happen. It's a journey during our time together. We'd like to explore your journey, the ups, the downs, all of it, or as much as we can fit into this segment. So let's jump right in. Tell us a little bit about Fernbank and what is its mission? We talked a little bit about it in the introduction, but what does it mean to you?
President Zak: Great question. I
Jennifer Grant Warner: appreciate you starting with that because it's clearly very important to me and my journey. Uh, Fernbank is such a unique place. We were founded back in 1939 as a private non profit, so it makes us one of the oldest conservation non profits in our country, which gives us this really unique and profound environmental legacy.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Fast forward, the museum opened in 1992 to be a guest facing. campus and so today we're 120 acres that feature the [00:04:00] Museum of Natural History, Wildwoods, Outdoor Trails and Adventures, an old growth forest that's quite special, a giant screen theater and more, providing relevant, dynamic, engaging, hands on experiences around science and nature with humans in the mix.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Um, and we really feel that the mission that we have, that you articulated in the introduction, is more relevant and needed than ever as we think about the issues facing us locally and globally. So that work for education and inspiring curiosity and, um, really thinking about it in terms of those critical thinking skills that are so important to all of us as citizens of the world.
President Zak: Sounds a little bit like liberal arts education. And I have to say, we're recording on your beautiful campus. It's so wonderful to be here. What a special place.
Jennifer Grant Warner: It is. I'm glad you came. It's a gorgeous day [00:05:00] when you're here, uh, recording and it's been filled with, uh, school children here on field trips today.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And it just is always a great reminder, uh, that we can see the impact, uh, of the work that we're doing here.
President Zak: Well, let's go back a little bit. When you were growing up, I'm being ahead of a museum is not something that just jumps to mind. So where did you grow up and what did you think you were going to be?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Well, certainly not what I'm doing today. Um, I grew up in a small town in Kentucky. Uh, good midwestern upbringing. Um, it was a rural community and had a small nuclear family that was very close then and we're still very close to this day. Um, much of my childhood, um, which at that time was, was typical, I think, especially where I grew up, was spent outdoors.
Jennifer Grant Warner: I was, you know, on my bike, I was out in the neighborhood playing kickball or wiffle [00:06:00] ball, um, and really spent a lot of time, you know, with friends and just exploring and, um, filling my time,
President Zak: uh, with, with outdoor activities. So did you have a sense of something you thought you were going to be when you were growing up?
Jennifer Grant Warner: You know, I loved science. Um, But you were a history major. I know. How does that fit together? It took just a little of a winding road through college is what that was. It was a journey. It was a journey, Lee. You know, I loved science. And so, I, I always thought I would be a doctor, maybe a pharmacist, um, something to, you know, to go into college and study all of those things.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And, uh, while microbiology was, was and is still probably my favorite college course I took, um, I decided at that point, I think it was probably with organic chemistry in the mix, that I didn't really want to keep going down that path and, um, study medicine. And so it took me a little while to Uh, trying different [00:07:00] classes to figure out where I should land, and I loved writing and history and political science and public policy.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so that's where I landed, and I found that that arts and sciences is really part of me, but in a little different tact.
President Zak: So how did you make your way to Fernbank?
Jennifer Grant Warner: relationships and people come into play in that journey. Um, and so I love, after college I, uh, went into non profit work, uh, leaning into that public policy, governmental affairs, uh, work.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And, uh, Ended up in Atlanta and worked, uh, for someone at the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce who ended up becoming CEO of Fernbank, uh, not long after I had started working for her, uh, at the Atlanta Chamber. And so, once I'd done some really interesting things, uh, there, I was beginning to look and, um, was talking with her and she said we need some, we need some help out here, uh, I think you'd find this interesting.[00:08:00]
Jennifer Grant Warner: And it was a different way to think about public policy, um, and having an impact on the community, uh, through the work here. And so, 24 years later, I'm still doing that.
President Zak: Well, it answers one of my questions, but I'd love to learn a little more about mentorship. Was there someone who mentored you? It sounds like you had a wonderful connection.
President Zak: Someone who brought you to Fernbank. What, what did that look like for you?
Jennifer Grant Warner: You know, it was, and I've had many along the way and none ever officially My predecessor here was certainly one, and she took a chance on me a couple of times, uh, along the way, and gave me great opportunities, and gave many of us here great opportunities.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And, you know, it was coaching, and I think she, uh, She saw potential and, um, I think about that a lot right now in the role that I'm in with the next generation of leaders that we have coming [00:09:00] through the museum and even in the community. But, you know, I found that mentorship in other ways. I can think back to jobs when I was in college during the summer and things that those supervisors at the time would say and those moments come back to me.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Uh, so it's really taking in, um, Those lessons that you can get from those around you.
President Zak: But you also took a risk. You made a shift. You started a not for profit. You went to the chamber. Tell me a little bit about that, knowing when to take the next step.
Jennifer Grant Warner: No, I think it was listening to myself, um, and having enough confidence in that I was ready to, to do something else.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And I will say that I've worked for a couple of chambers of commerce and they were wonderful places to get grounded in community and to understand, um, the, you know, for one, it was a statewide entity, and then here in Atlanta, [00:10:00] um, Um, but I had to have some confidence in myself and know that I could take a risk and I had trust in others and I sought a lot of input and feedback, um, as I was making decisions.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Um, and then jumped right in and went for it. And, um, and I think that's something that I've had to do throughout my career here at Fernbank is take some risks. It's what we have to do to grow, um, and have been given opportunities and, and challenges, that I had not necessarily been formally trained on, but had to figure out.
President Zak: You might not necessarily put together a natural science museum and women. Tell me a little more about that. Um, are there a lot of women in this industry? A lot of men? What was it like being a woman? And what is it like being a woman in the industry?
Jennifer Grant Warner: In this industry, there are, well, at Fernbank there are a lot of, uh, women leaders.
Jennifer Grant Warner: We have some terrific male leaders as [00:11:00] well. Um, you know, and what's interesting here at Fernbank is, Fernbank was founded because of a vision that a young woman had. I love that. But back in, um, you know, the, early 1900s. Uh, she was, her family had a home here, uh, on what is, in what is now Fernbank Forest.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And she was an educator and loved the outdoors. And she coined the phrase, Fernbank, because of the bank inside Fernbank Forest that was covered with ferns. And so there's that deep, tie to that. And, you know, I think that that's something we carry with pride around here, that she had that they were inspired by the Teddy Roosevelt movement to preserve wild spaces.
Jennifer Grant Warner: But it's been great. I mean, I think we, we, women, I think, we're good listeners. And I think we lead [00:12:00] with curiosity and empathy. And I think that serves us well in a natural science institution because that's where curiosity really is, um, is a through
President Zak: line for us. I love the fact that it was initially conceived by a woman and now is led by a woman.
President Zak: That's fantastic. Oftentimes people don't put together not for profits and business school. You went to school while you were working here. Congratulations. I know that's not easy to do. Tell us more about that. Why, why that decision? How has that been helpful to you?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Well, I did that and I think I always thought I would either do public policy, you know, master's in public policy or considered law school at some point, but Fernbank is, while it is a not for profit, we run this place like a business and we must.
Jennifer Grant Warner: We earn the majority of our income annually. We have to be thinking about the consumer. You know, it is a, it is a a [00:13:00] place for people to come. They're deciding to, to spend their discretionary time and income. If they're visiting here, we must think about how to, how will things be funded and what's the sustainability of a program or a project.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so I realized that that a business degree would serve me best, not only here, but probably across my career and that it would compliment In many ways, the things that I had studied and, and the skills that I was drawn to more naturally, which was the arts and the sciences. And so I thought it would be a really great compliment.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so going back and being a grown up and doing statistics and finance and accounting, uh, it certainly honed skills and it certainly has served me well, um, as my, career here at Fernbank has grown, um, to be a better leader, um, of the institution and, and to, to tease out details and, and to pay attention to some of those other things that are so critical [00:14:00] to running an organization.
President Zak: Speaking of finances, I mentioned in the introduction about navigating through the pandemic that I'm sure was incredibly difficult. You had to close your doors as did colleges and universities across the country. What was that like? And where are you today?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Well, it was an interesting time, wasn't it Lee?
Jennifer Grant Warner: You were, you were in the thick of it as well. And it was something that we'd never, you know, there was no playbook to go by. Um, Those were some of the hardest years. We, I will say, it's when you also realize and you really appreciate the strength of your team. And we have a dynamic team of, um, senior leaders here and across the organization, many of which we've all worked together for a very long time.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And, um, We, you know, we've always prided ourselves because Fernbank is a younger museum. While we were founded in 1939, we opened [00:15:00] in 92. So we, we don't have the centuries that some of our peers in other cities or countries have, um, on us. So we think of ourselves as very entrepreneurial. And we were able to tap into that.
Jennifer Grant Warner: during the pandemic. Um, you know, when we closed our doors, it was like cutting off the spigot because we rely on that earned income. Um, it was one of the hardest decisions and I had to have, we had to call a prom, high school and tell a prom they couldn't have their prom that weekend in March. It was one of the hardest, hardest things to do.
Jennifer Grant Warner: They did come back a couple of years later. Uh, we were happy to have them. Um, But we tapped into that adaptability, the resilience, um, and really leverage the outdoor space that we had to be able to pivot our programming. Um, I have to say that our team came together with the other institutions and created a field trip Friday so that we could put out educational content, knowing that all the [00:16:00] families were then at home trying to school their children.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so we would put out content, um, And our educators were in their homes rigging their phones and can't, you know, to film themselves doing science experiments. So I really saw this team, you know, their commitment and their creativity. But when we go through something like that, it really a light was shown on it.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Um, we've come out of the pandemic stronger than we went in. It pushed us to do some innovative things that we had wanted to do. You know, we got to online tickets faster and how to scan things at the, at the entry. Um, We were able to leverage, um, you know, the federal aid, uh, that was available and the community stepped up and also continue to support us as did our board of directors.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so we actually have come out of the pandemic stronger in many ways. Uh, and I include the team and [00:17:00] our, um, ability to work together and to see ways to be creative, um, to create new experiences. I think we'll be better coming out of that. Some silver linings.
President Zak: Well, I also know that you've been very focused on the community, the Atlanta community broadly, engaging them as we have as well.
President Zak: I know it's been very important to you to have diversity and equity inclusion at Fernbank. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Well, it's something, you know, we, we do spend a lot of our educational energy in that space, uh, here in Atlanta with the, uh, income inequality that we know, uh, and inequity that exists and we see that, uh, in education and we feel that education is so key to opportunities for the future.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And in, uh, you know, in Georgia, fewer than a third of our students are proficient in science. And we have concerns for that, [00:18:00] considering the STEM economy that we are throttling children into as they move through and come to places like Agnes Scott and then out into the workforce. So we, we spend a lot of energy with providing programs out in the community for Title I students from pre K through high school.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Ranging from a program for four year olds, where we reach 1, 100 four year olds in the city. Uh, in partnership with PNC Bank and Grow Up Great. Congratulations, this is so wonderful. It's a decade, decade long partnership. Uh, we work with the Alliance Theater. It's a STEAM initiative. And so those four year olds are coming on campus for field trips.
Jennifer Grant Warner: We're working with those teachers for, for, uh, And how they can incorporate science and inquiry based learning into the pre K classroom because kids at that age are naturally curious and scientists. We have an after school program, uh, where we're providing science enrichment over at Agape [00:19:00] with those students, uh, in their after school initiative.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And One of the things, again, a silver lining during the pandemic is we had raised the funds before then to create a new steam lab and a new mobile museum. And so during the pandemic, we used that time when we weren't, uh, didn't have as many guests coming through the doors to build out Fernbank on the go.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so we have a mobile museum now going out into the community, meeting people where they are to provide them science and nature experiences, uh, where they are. And so last year we served more than 16, 000 people out in the community just through Fernbank on the go.
President Zak: Again, congratulations. And it's that ability to adapt, to be able to evolve, respond to situations and, you know, making the most of what came out of the pandemic, uh, as you continue to thrive, which is fantastic.
President Zak: Let me ask you a question going back to you as a leader. Is there anything that [00:20:00] surprised you about yourself as you saw yourself becoming a leader?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Oh, that's a great question, Lee. Anything I saw that surprised myself? I don't know that surprised myself, but I think I, I can find the confidence to make a decision, and I also know that it's important to surround myself with really smart, capable, uh, individuals who, who provide candid feedback and input and I know to get that input and that that helps me make more informed decisions and um, perhaps it's that I, I can be comfortable taking an informed risk, uh, which I think is important and that is what's allowed me to grow, but I believe that that's also been a part of Fernbank's growth, um, and you mentioned the word adaptability and it goes back to science.
Jennifer Grant Warner: We must [00:21:00] adapt. to survive and thrive.
President Zak: I really appreciate that concept of informed risk. Can you give us an example of an informed risk that you've taken? And hopefully it's one that worked out well. Well,
Jennifer Grant Warner: yes, um, I can. And I think that informed piece is really important. Um, Lee, you know, one that I think of is Fernbank had, um, This long standing, very popular adult series called Martinis and IMAX.
Jennifer Grant Warner: It was one of the first of its kind adult, uh, only museum at night programming. And it was wildly popular for decades. And, but we began to see it waning. And we thought, do we, do we keep it or do we not? And we spent a lot of time that and made the decision finally to retire it, which was a risk because there was a core group that loved that program.
Jennifer Grant Warner: But we spent a [00:22:00] lot of time analyzing, planning, thinking what would we do in its place. And happily, it has worked well. So we did sunset that program and created something called Fernbank After Dark, which was a new and improved iteration, but we were listening to what people wanted. And so now, it's a more expansive experience, and they actually get more, of the museum when they're here, not just the, the IMAX theater.
Jennifer Grant Warner: They get to go throughout all of the exhibits at night, adults only, no strollers in the building, no field trip buses, and it's still live music. It's still festive. And we're doing, we bring in science education as well. And so it was a great risk that we took that has paid off. And that that has then allowed us to look for other ways to build off that risk with new series that we'll be announcing this year.
Jennifer Grant Warner: Things like our Wild Woods Aglow, which is bringing stories of [00:23:00] nature to life at night. So again, connecting with different audiences and learning from each one experience that we create, how we can take that forward. So it's that evolution
President Zak: That's terrific. Thank you for sharing those stories. Thank you.
President Zak: As we close, do you have any last minute words of encouragement to our listeners?
Jennifer Grant Warner: Being open to those opportunities and the risks and to know, um, that it might be a zig and a zag, not necessarily a straight line. Um, but that a lot of what At least from my experience, um, you know, Fernbank is a people business at the end of the day, too.
Jennifer Grant Warner: And so I think it's those relationships and, um, strengthening those and paying attention to those as you move through your life stages and certainly through your career, um, because it's, life is a [00:24:00] people business, too.
President Zak: Jennifer, thank you for sharing your story with us. To our audience, thank you for listening.
President Zak: I hope you're encouraged and inspired. Jennifer Grant Warner's journey is one of many we are thrilled to share with you. Thank you to our producer, Sydni Perry, for making this podcast possible. I am Leocadia Zak, and this is Journeys to Leadership.