Yesterday we announced that Carl Goodman is stepping down from his role as Executive Director on March 3, 2023 after 34 years with the Museum.

Carl joined the Museum as an educator in 1989 and served in a number of capacities including Curator of Digital Media and Senior Deputy Director before his appointment as Executive Director in 2011. Under his twelve-year tenure as Executive Director, the Museum experienced a three-fold increase in annual attendance following the Museum’s major expansion and renovation. The Museum acquired a major collection of puppets and other material from the family of Jim Henson, and created a new permanent gallery and exhibition devoted to the work of Henson, while also developing a traveling version of this exhibition that continues to tour the country.

He led the Museum through the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruptions to the lives of staff and visitors, all while the institution adapted to fulfilling its mission in an online virtual environment from March 2020 through April 2021. During this period, the Museum partnered with the New York Hall of Science and Rooftop Films to run the 200-car Queens Drive-In in Elmhurst, Queens, and mounted major exhibitions, such as those devoted to AMC Networks’ Mad Men and The Walking Dead.

Under Carl’s tenure, the Museum secured millions in funding from government and individuals for capital projects. Most recently, with the support of New York State Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris, $5 million in state funding was secured to advance the Museum’s educational work in film, television, and digital media. He established multi-year, multi-million-dollar privately funded new initiatives, including Marvels of Media, devoted to increasing representation of media-makers on the autism spectrum. In addition, he served as the Chair of the New York City Cultural Institutions Group, a coalition of 31 cultural organizations all housed in buildings owned by the City of New York, from 2016–17.

“It has been my distinct honor to work with such talented and hard-working colleagues, and to have had the backing of our Board of Trustees, to increase visibility of and support for MoMI, a spectacular museum devoted to the world’s most powerful form of expression,” said Carl. “The Museum is in an excellent position to enter its new era.”

“With education at the core of everything the Museum does, Carl furthered the Museum’s commitment to digital media literacy, especially focused on New York City youth and students,” said Board of Trustees Co-Chair Ivan Lustig. “Carl’s impact on the Museum is immense, and we look forward to building on the momentum created under his leadership.”

The Board of Trustees led by Lustig and fellow Co-Chair Michael Barker have formed a search committee to begin the process of hiring a new Executive Director.

Barker said, “Museum of the Moving Image prospered under the leadership of Carl Goodman. His careful direction led us to expand the Museum’s reach, raise our profile in the film and media industries, and build on our ongoing commitment to education and community engagement. We look forward to expanding on his legacy as we usher in this new era of our institution.”

Carl will be assuming the role of President and CEO of The Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg following his departure from the Museum.