For nearly three years, Dee Jay Mailer has been leading the state's largest museum, assuming the role after a human resources crisis led to the firing of three top executives.
But Mailer is finishing up her final year at Bishop Museum.
Now, the torch will be passed to Kristofer Helgen, chief scientist and director of the Australian Museum Research Institute in Sydney.
After a months-long search, the Bishop Museum Board of Directors chose Helgen earlier this month. More than 50 candidates applied for the job.
Helgen, 45, is no stranger to the Hawai‘i-based museum. He studied the museum's mammal collection in 2002 while a research student at Harvard University. He was also a museum research associate in 2007.
"Bishop has long had a hold over me," he said. "I'm absolutely enamored with the institution."
Helgen will oversee the preservation of the Bishop Museum's collection of over 2 million artifacts and work with the board of directors to secure funding.
He must navigate calls to repatriate artifacts while diversifying the museum's collection. He also needs to find ways to grow the museum's revenues with the uncertainty of federal funding.
Board Chair Ann Botticelli said 7% of Bishop Museum's revenues come from federal funds.
Helgen has more than a decade of leadership experience. Before joining the Australian Museum, he was the chief curator of mammals at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
He says he brings an empathic but stern approach to leadership.
"I have learned these challenges, including problems of declining funding, difficult political environments at times, to find the types of support that we need," he said.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Helgen has centered his career in the Pacific region.
Helgen aims to amplify Indigenous voices and leadership roles across the Pacific. He wants to reduce the Bishop Museum admission fee or make it free for Hawaiʻi residents or children.
He also wants the museum to play a bigger role in supporting biosecurity, such as tackling invasive species in the state.
"This is a really important but doable dream," he said. "I think the short-term answer is trying to connect us with more resources and explain and really help everyone understand the many different contributions, more than just the importance of being a place where people can come in the door."
A months-long investigation in 2022 led to the firing of three executives, including then-CEO Melanie Ide. The board at the time said they made the decision because of "the failure to address and resolve serious workplace issues."
Botticelli thanked Mailer for her strong leadership over the past few years and for helping to create a solid foundation.
But that turmoil and other issues still linger for some community members.
Native Hawaiian artist Meleanna Aluli Meyer has been a critic. But she hopes Helgen will do a good job.
"Being brutally honest, this is a beloved institution that we all support, and it's been in my mind, really mishandled," she said. "There's so much that could be done better, and this guy is coming in to deal with so many issues. We wish him well."
