Danforth Center Board Chair Penny Pennington

July 1, 2024

Dear Danforth Center Community,

As you heard earlier today, after over 13 years at the helm of the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, President and CEO Jim Carrington has announced that he will retire from that position on July 1, 2025. Jim followed tremendous leaders at the Center, and he has taken this remarkable institution to new heights of mission impact helping us gain renown in the field and forge new partnerships that extend worldwide to advance our mission: to improve the human condition through plant science. Jim is an esteemed scientist, a high impact leader, and a trusted community partner. We will benefit from his leadership in his last year at the Center and celebrate his impact as he approaches his retirement milestone.  

The Danforth Center Board of Directors is now tasked with the responsibility to identify the next great leader of our institution. The search process will be Board-led. I am privileged to lead the Search Advisory Committee, alongside select Danforth Center staff and an experienced national search partner, that will identify candidates with the ability and desire to meet the criteria and leadership profile for the role of President. The process will be inclusive, actively engaging the stakeholders of the Center - the Danforth Center community - as well as stakeholders in the St. Louis region and beyond. We will establish the leadership profile, seek a pool of highly qualified candidates, and recommend to the Board of Directors a small group of exceptional candidates from which will be chosen the next President.  

There is no more important role for a Board of Directors than to identify, support, encourage, and share responsibility of leadership with the President of an esteemed institution such as the Danforth Plant Science Center. Our Board and Search Advisory Committee will fulfill this privileged responsibility with diligence and rigor.    

Regards,
Penny Pennington
Board Chair