The Exploration Place CEO recognized with national award

And the Canadian Association of Science Centres Outstanding Career Achievement Award goes to... Tracy Calogheros, The Exploration Place CEO.

The team at the local museum and science centre led by Robyn Curtis, vice president of development, nominated Calogheros for the honour.

“The success of The Exploration Place lies in Tracy’s ingenuity, ability to recruit and retain talented people and her dedication to making this one of the best places to work in Prince George,” said the statement posted on The Exploration Place Facebook page. “Tracy has been with the Exploration Place for 28 years. She is a leader in our industry, a champion for Truth and Reconciliation and relationship building and an advocate internationally for science literacy, innovation and culture. She has brought the message of advocacy for the sector across the nation working with people from all levels of government and from within the industry to advance the goals of science centres and museums.”

Considered a Lifetime Achievement award, Calogheros joked that she hoped she didn’t have to retire now.

“I’m starting to think they’re telling me something - a Lifetime Achievement award? How old am I?” Calogheros laughed.

She’s been a member of the board for the Canadian Association of Science Centres before they were the Canadian association, she added.

“I’ve been with them since the late 90s,” Calogheros said. “I’ve served on their board on and off a couple of times but this last round, of course, I was president during this COVID crisis so it’s been an interesting time.”

She started at The Exploration Place in 1994 at an entry-level job on an old UI program, doing graphic design and marketing, she explained.

“I guess I just hung around long enough so they made me the boss,” Calogheros joked. “I worked my way through a number of different positions in here and I was the assistant director when we did the renovation project and rebranding in 2000 and then took over as CEO in 2003.”

There is a major renovation going on once again at the local science centre and museum and visitors will be able to see what’s new when the anticipated reopening comes mid-January 2022.

As for the honour of being recognized as a leader in her field?

“I think like an awful lot of women in my age group - I’m just about 52 - we all suffer from Imposter Syndrome and I think to have colleagues that I have worked with and looked up to and we’ve partnered on so many things over the last couple of decades - to have them say here’s an award for the work that you’ve done - it’s fulfilling and it really does help to make me believe that the work that I’m doing matters to everybody beyond my own team here,” Calogheros explained.

“It’s hard to put into words but it’s meant a lot to me to be honoured in this way.”