This month, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum closes out our 60th anniversary celebration that we’ve highlighted with special videos, community day celebrations, and so much more throughout the year. We took a few moments to catch up with our President & CEO, Kristen Greenaway, to reflect and look to the future of CBMM!

If we created a time capsule to be opened 60 years from now, what would you add that represents CBMM today?

Stories—so many stories! I’d love to include a photo of our entire team and capture all we’ve achieved over the years that’s setting us up for our next 60 years. But more than anything, I’d want stories from everyone who’s been part of this journey—our team members, volunteers, Board, committee members, our community—really anyone who feels passionate about this place. Those voices make CBMM what it is.

What is something from CBMM’s values that you practice the most in your day-to-day life?

Relevance, hands down. We need to be more relevant and contemporary in everything we do. Now, don’t get me wrong—authenticity and stewardship are deeply embedded in our DNA, and we excel at both. But relevancy? That’s what you’ll see driving all our activities moving forward. It’s about meeting people where they are today while honoring where we’ve been.

What is something someone might find in your office or desk that would surprise them to see?

A LEGO Millennium Falcon! My son Andrew and I are total LEGO fanatics, and we built this together over Christmas seven years ago. Andrew told me to take it to my office because he knew if it stayed home, he’d eventually break it up for something else. So, there it sits, pride of place.

If you could go back and be a CBMM Summer Camper for a day, what activity would you be most excited to do?

Easy. It would absolutely have to be on the water. Give me sailing any day!

On May 22, we were thrilled to gather with our community in the Welcome Center to celebrate CBMM’s 60th birthday. Thanks to everyone who joined us!

What’s a moment when you really felt CBMM’s mission come alive?

Honestly? Every day. But let me tell you about this morning—I spent half an hour in the Shipyard and met a new team member. He told me he’d worked on a skipjack for 13 years, and he actually teared up as he said he has another ten years of work life ahead of him and wants to spend every one of them right here.

I feel the impact of our mission every single day. It’s a true joy working alongside an amazing group of people to create something even greater for our community than we could have imagined.

What’s happening behind the scenes right now that you’re most excited about?

Oh, there’s so much! The Shipyard is a living, breathing exhibition, and right now we’re restoring our 1920 buyboat Winnie Estelle. This spring, Winnie will relaunch as an on-water platform for educational heritage and ecotourism experiences—cruises that bring the history, environment, and culture of the Bay to life through hands-on experiences. I’m a firm believer that water-based learning demonstrates ecosystem complexity and fragility in ways you just can’t convey any other way.

We’re also completely refreshing the story of the Hooper Strait Lighthouse. And the Oystering exhibition is getting a major update to make it more contemporary, relevant, and accessible. We’re exploring regenerative aquaculture practices—which is the fastest-growing food production sector globally and oysters enormous workforce opportunities. When you explore our waterways and their food chains, you start to see the incredible impact aquaculture has on the Eastern Seaboard and around the world.

That’s a key theme we’re leaning into—thinking globally and acting locally. A perfect example is a new shipping-themed exhibition opening in a couple of years. We’re not just talking about the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries anymore. We’re recognizing the Bay as a global highway that links us to the rest of the world, while also addressing workforce development needs right here at home.

What would you want our donors to know about how their support impacts our community?

Your support allows us to do what I believe is one of CBMM’s greatest strengths—combining community development and economic development. The two are absolutely inextricably linked. We’re building workforce development through our Shipwright Apprenticeship program and cultivating the next generation of talent through Rising Tide, our afterschool workshop program. We operate as a vital community partner by providing gathering spaces, educational resources, and programming that brings diverse people together around shared heritage and environmental concerns.

We are extremely grateful to our donors who make all this possible. Your end-of-year Annual Fund support helps us continue creating experiences that leave you—and every guest—realizing you’re part of something so much bigger than yourself!