The President and CEO of Bishop Museum has resigned from his position. Blair Collis announced his resignation today, ending a five year run in the museum’s top seat.
A news release did not say why he is resigning, but it quoted Collis as saying he is pursuing new opportunities. The museum’s board of directors has appointed Honolulu attorney Linda Lee Kuuleilani “Cissy” Farm as interim president and CEO, and the board will launch a national search for a permanent replacement.
Earlier this year, Collis announced a controversial five-year restructuring plan to streamline operations. The plan included selling off properties that were a financial drain on the institution… including the Amy Greenwell native plant garden in Kona as well as more than five-hundred acres of agricultural land in Waipi‘o Valley. The museum has already implemented a $24-million renovation to Hawai‘i Hall and the J. Watumull planetarium.
Collis started at the museum in 2003 as the director of the Bishop Museum Press. Originally from Australia… he graduated from the university of Hawai‘i with a business degree in 1996.