Announcements
SHOREHAM, N.Y. – October 6, 2026 — Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe (TSCW) has launched the national search for its next Executive Director. The new Executive Director will lead the next chapter of an ambitious journey that began over a decade ago: transforming Nikola Tesla’s last remaining laboratory into a global hub for innovation, education, and inspiration.
The 16-acre Wardenclyffe campus, purchased in 2013 with support from a New York State matching grant and a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign, holds the brick laboratory designed by Stanford White and built for Nikola Tesla’s experiments in wireless power transmission.
The Executive Director search is the culmination of extensive work by the Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and consultants after a devastating fire in 2023 severely damaged Tesla’s historic laboratory. The Center was partway through a $20 million restoration effort, which was set back considerably by the fire.
However, just as Tesla continued his research after his South Fifth Avenue laboratory burned down, the TSCW team forged ahead. The board, staff, and volunteers adapted construction plans, secured grant funding (including $500,000 from New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund), and hosted exciting educational events like the Nikola Tesla Birthday Expo and SpaceHack.
Now, Tesla Science Center has officially risen from the ashes. The Center is poised to open the Eugene Sayan Visitor Center in 2026—a national destination for innovation where visitors can explore Tesla’s life and work, engage with hands-on science and technology exhibits, and participate in programs that inspire curiosity and discovery.
TSCW is seeking a visionary Executive Director who can both inspire and execute: advancing Tesla’s legacy, guiding completion of the Visitor Center, building partnerships, and expanding TSCW’s reach as a world-class science and cultural institution. The ideal candidate should be equally comfortable as a fundraiser, strategist, storyteller, and operational steward.
“Tesla Science Center’s board is committed to our ambitious goals, including repairing the historic laboratory and opening the Visitor Center,” said Board President Dr. Richard Gearns. “Selecting a highly qualified professional will be one of our most important decisions. We are especially pleased to be working with Dr. Brent Glass, who has an extensive national network of professionals.”
Dr. Brent Glass, Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, is leading the recruitment initiative. “I am impressed with the potential of Tesla Science Center to become a leader in public science,” Dr. Glass noted. “The history of the site and its association with Nikola Tesla’s contributions makes this an exciting leadership opportunity.”
Find additional information and the job application here:
teslasciencecenter.org/announcements/leadership-opportunity-at-tesla-science-center/
About Tesla Science Center
Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe’s mission is to develop the site of Nikola Tesla’s last remaining laboratory into a transformative global science center that embraces his bold spirit of invention, provides innovative learning experiences, fosters the advancement of new technologies, and preserves his legacy in the Tesla Museum. TSCW envisions a world where people appreciate Nikola Tesla’s contributions, are inspired by his scientific audacity, and engage in the future betterment of humanity.
About Brent D. Glass
Dr. Brent D. Glass is Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and a national leader in the preservation, interpretation, and promotion of U.S. history. Before joining the Smithsonian, he served from 1987 to 2002 as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, overseeing the largest and most comprehensive state history program in the country. He holds a doctorate from the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in American Studies from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College.
Media Contact:
Press inquiries will be directed to:
Jane Alcorn, Board Member
Matt Domo, Board Member
Email: [email protected]
