On April 29, Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM) announced its receipt of a $2.5 million grant – the largest contribution the museum has received outside of a capital campaign in its almost 40-year history. It will be using the money to expand both its programming and exhibit space to a new audience. Who is this audience and what are they doing? LCM CEO Tifferney White shares the news.
about
Tifferney White is the CEO of the Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM), with a vision of shaping positive trajectories for early learners, their caregivers and local communities. White has nearly 30 years of experience leading and supporting science and technology centers and children’s museums as places for all.
Most recently, White served as chief learning officer of Discovery Place, which included four museums with locations in and around Charlotte, North Carolina. There she oversaw STEM and educational resources for the region’s diverse communities. Before that, White held a series of leadership roles of increasing responsibility for DISCOVERY Children’s Museum in Las Vegas. She began her career at Discovery Place.
At LCM, White leads a dedicated team of educators and professionals who, along with the board of directors, are committed to growing LCM programs and services with a focus on early education and STEM education, sustainability, literacy, arts and culture and physical and mental health.
White envisions the LCM campus among the ecosystem of City Park and its programming as jump-starting children’s potential while also contributing to strong communities. She advocates that early childhood learning is critical to the successful development of our children and exposure to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) is critical to achieve an adequate career pipeline into STEM.
Her first order of business as CEO of LCM has been to conduct a listening tour of community needs and aspirations with a pledge to connect with funding sources to develop programming to address desired outcomes while growing LCM into a place where ALL children can visit and grow.
White also serves on the Association of Children’s Museums board of directors as chair, helping to set the strategic direction for museums across the nation and world. With an executive MBA, Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, one of her passions has been to facilitate hands-on STEM experiences for children who would not otherwise have exposure to children’s museums or their content.
White is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Junior League. She is a recipient of the National Society of Black Engineers’ Transforming STEM’s Charlotte Trailblazers 2018 Award. She was featured in Biz New Orleans’ 2024 Biz 500 list and is a 2023 recipient of its New and Notables designation.
She is a former board member of Cato College of Education for UNC Charlotte and the Charlotte Area Science Network and a qualified administrator for Intercultural Development Inventory. She holds a certification in Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace from University of South Florida. Her bachelor’s degrees are from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte. She earned her Executive Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
White lives in New Orleans. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and loves to travel, especially to new places. One of her favorite quotes is “service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth” – Muhammad Ali.
