After holding roles such as staff member, curator, and director of different museums, Joel A. Bartsch now leads the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) as the CEO and president. Under the leadership of Joel Bartsch, HMNS has become one of the highest-attended museums in the United States.
In July 2020, HMNS announced that Kavita Self is the new director of the George Observatory in Needville and the HMNS campus at Sugar Land. A graduate of Rice University and resident of the Sugar Land area, Self believes that museums bring communities together. She embodies the values of HMNS and is committed to making the museum the best it can be.
Self is the former program manager of the HMNA campus, where she was responsible for leading the volunteer program. She has been working with HMNS since 2013 and is actively involved in her community as a volunteer with Fort Bend County Homeless Youth and the Fort Bend Junior Service League.
