NEW HANOVER COUNTY — After serving as interim director for five months, the county has moved Kate Baillon into the full-time director position overseeing operations of the Cape Fear Museum.
The New Hanover County Cape Fear Museum of History and Science, currently located at 814 Market Street, will be moving to the new Project Grace building upon completion of a combined downtown library and museum.
Baillon joined the county in 2017 and took over as interim director when Wayne LaBar resigned in April. Prior, Baillon was manager of collections and exhibits.
“Kate has been an integral part of the Cape Fear Museum team,” County Manager Chris Coudriet said in a press release. “Her work to expand and improve the museum’s exhibits and overall collection has been forward thinking and has enhanced the Cape Fear Museum as a must-visit site for learning in our community. She has proven to be a trusted leader for the museum team, helping to lead their strategic planning process and guiding them through new initiatives and opportunities like Project Grace. So, we are very excited about the museum’s future and growth under her continued leadership moving forward.”
A native of the United Kingdom, Baillon graduated from Gloucestershire University and earned a master’s degree of arts administration from UNC Charlotte. She previously was vice president of exhibitions and collections at the Levine Museum of the New South in Charlotte for 10 years until moving to New Hanover County in 2017.
Baillon has developed a reputation for her work in preserving and displaying history, according to the county’s release, and made numerous presentations at regional, state and national conferences. She’s also helped guide Cape Fear Museum’s growing collection of temporary and permanent displays.
“I am so honored to be given this opportunity to continue my journey with the Cape Fear Museum and the incredible team of museum staff I get to work with each day,” Baillon said in a press release. “With Project Grace’s recent approval, there is a lot of excitement about the future of our museum. I’m looking forward to creating the best possible museum experience for our visitors so they can learn about our region’s history, science and culture in an engaging and evolving way.”
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