Space Center Houston is launching into a new year with a new vice president of communications and marketing, a growing membership program and rocketing attendance. The science and space exploration learning center continues its work on advancing a new facilities master plan and is poised for an exceptional year celebrating the Apollo 11 mission’s 50th anniversary.
Joining the center’s senior leadership team, Space Center Houston welcomes Richard E. Glover, Jr. as vice president of communications and marketing. Glover is responsible for the center’s overall communications strategy, public relations, marketing, marketing sponsorship and partnerships, website, social media and crisis communications.
“Richard brings a wealth of strategic communications and crisis communications experience with proven results supporting major capital campaigns,” said William T. Harris, president and CEO of the nonprofit. “He will be a key part of realizing the center’s new facilities master plan and leading the communications strategy to support planning for a future capital campaign.”
With more than 25 years of communications and marketing experience, Glover has led successful strategic communications and marketing campaigns, designed a corporate sponsorship/partnership program, supported successful capital campaigns and leveraged public relations and social media to elevate brand awareness.
Glover earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Among his extensive experience, Glover served as vice president of marketing, communications and external affairs for The Florida Aquarium, where he was responsible for the aquarium’s marketing, communications, government affairs, community affairs and industry relations. He’s served as chief marketing officer for the Texas State Aquarium, where he oversaw the aquarium’s marketing, communications, group and private event sales, and was instrumental in the development and implementation of a $50 million capital campaign.
As a member of the senior leadership team, Glover will lead the communication plans on the nonprofit’s strategic plan framework. The center continues to move toward its aspiration to be the world’s leading science and space exploration learning center. The nonprofit broke attendance records with its best spring break, July and Thanksgiving weekend since opening in 1992. This month it achieved drawing more than 1 million visitors and is on pace to welcome nearly 1.1 million visitors by end of year.
This year included the center’s progress to provide science and space exploration learning for everyone, achieving a Certified Autism Center designation and adding two new Space Center University programs, a five-day hands-on engineering design program open to students from middle school through college and adults. The new Space Center U programs are tailored for the visually impaired and for adults interested in atmospheric research.
The banner year also included the launch of the center’s first blog, president and CEO Harris’ Instagram account, a new robust membership program with a 30 percent increase in enrollment over prior year and a new Gene Kranz Mission Control Scholarship Fund benefitting underserved students with scholarships to attend Space Center University.
A growing interest in space and space science has drawn more people to the center than ever before. This year and next year look brighter than ever as Space Center Houston honors NASA’s 60th anniversary and the Apollo 11 mission’s 50th anniversary with a spectacular Lunar Jubilee complete with an array of Apollo-themed events through July 2019.
