FROM:   
THE INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM

CONTACT:    
Rubenstein Communications, Inc., Public Relations
Deborah Raskin (212) 843-8028 draskin@rubenstein.com

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February 7, 2011 (New York, NY) – The Board of Trustees of The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has announced the appointment of Executive Director Susan Marenoff to the office of President of the Museum, making her the first woman in the 29-year history of the institution to hold the position.  The promotion is effective immediately.

“Susan has proven herself to be an effective and inspired leader at the Intrepid, and we are extremely pleased to have her officially taking the helm as President,” said Charles de Gunzburg and Richard Santulli, co-chairmen of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.  “Susan was indispensable during the multi-year refurbishment and redesign of the Intrepid Museum in 2007 and 2008.  She has guided the Intrepid, its staff and volunteers, with passion and vision since that time. We are confident that Susan will continue to shepherd the Intrepid Museum in a way that will honor its past, educate its visitors and inspire a new generation of Americans to service of our nation.”

“I am grateful to the members of the Board of Trustees for their confidence in me to lead the Museum into a new and exciting chapter of its history,” said Marenoff.  “My love for Intrepid, the staff, volunteers and her former crewmembers runs deep – as does my appreciation for our military, their families and the sacrifices they make for our nation.  I look forward to an exciting future at our unique institution for New Yorkers, Americans and visitors to our city from around the world.”

Marenoff has served as Executive Director of the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum since 2005 and was Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President for Business Development from 2003 to 2005.  During her tenure, she has transformed the Intrepid Museum into a nationally recognized cultural institution that attracted nearly one million visitors in 2010.  Marenoff has led the development of exhibits and educational programs, as well as cultivated strategic marketing partnerships and developed the Museum’s donor and membership base.

Prior to joining the Intrepid, Marenoff was General Manager of the New York Power of the Women’s United Soccer Association.  Under her leadership, WUSA launched New York’s first professional women’s soccer team in less than four months. The league and the team brought the finest professional talent from around the world to the USA, forming the most highly competitive and sought after market in the sport.

Marenoff has also served as Director of Global Marketing at the Women’s Tennis Association Tour (WTA), where she raised Tour credibility and player loyalty through high-impact branding campaigns and negotiating one of the largest sponsorships in the history of women’s sports. 

Prior to the WTA Tour, Marenoff was the New York/New Jersey Venue Director for the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, directing the entire operation in the most critical market for the largest women’s team sporting event in history. Early in her career, she was a top revenue producer at Madison Square Garden and became the youngest female to be named Vice President of the world’s most famous arena up until that time.

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About the Museum
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum complex includes the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier ‘Intrepid’ with seven full decks and four theme halls; the guided missile submarine Growler; and an extensive collection of over 30 aircraft including the A-12 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world, and the British Airways Concorde, the fastest commercial aircraft in the world. Guests can experience areas of the ship including the Flight Deck, Hangar Deck, fo’c’sle (commonly known as the anchor chain room), new multimedia presentations and exhibit collections, interactive educational stations and a state-of-the-art public pier. 

Guests to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum also can experience the 12,240 square-foot interactive Exploreum – which contains a variety of hands-on exhibits – that teaches guests about the different properties of the sea, air, space and living at sea as each relates to the ship Intrepid. In the Exploreum, guests can experience a flight simulator, transmit messages using Morse code, sit on the bunk of a crewmember, learn how the Intrepid turned salt water into fresh water and perform various tasks while wearing space gloves.