Weeks after announcing layoffs affecting dozens of workers, the California Academy of Sciences said executive director Scott Sampson will step down later this month.
“It has been a privilege to serve the Academy and work alongside such talented staff, scientists, and educators,” Sampson, who led the San Francisco museum and scientific research hub for nearly seven years, said in a statement Thursday. “I’ve decided that it is the right time to step aside.”
Sampson’s last day is May 29. He will remain in an advisory role through June 30 while the Board of Trustees begins an international search for a new executive director.
The Board appointed Amber Mace, the Academy’s managing director and chief strategy officer, to serve as interim executive director during the transition.
The leadership change comes during a period of financial strain and internal tension at the Academy, one of San Francisco’s largest cultural institutions.
In April, Academy leadership announced layoffs affecting 53 employees — nearly 10% of its workforce — alongside program cuts aimed at addressing a projected budget deficit exceeding $8 million this fiscal year.
At the time, officials cited rising operational costs, declining tourism to San Francisco and shifts in visitor behavior following the pandemic as key reasons for the shortfall.
The layoffs drew criticism from the institution’s union, which said management failed to fully explore alternatives such as executive pay cuts, job sharing or tapping into institutional funds before reducing staff.
“They did not meet with us to discuss alternatives to layoffs, even though they said that they had exhausted every option,” Marie Angel, a curatorial assistant in the geology department and chapter secretary for CalAcademy Workers United told KQED in April.
Union president Teddy Vollman said Thursday that workers hope the leadership transition marks a change in direction.
“We believe this was the correct first step in order to restore an Academy leadership structure which puts the people who enact the Academy’s mission first,” Vollman said in a statement shared with KQED. “We look forward to working with a new team which will collaborate with us to find alternatives to layoffs and preserve this beloved San Francisco institution.”
The Academy did not indicate that Sampson’s resignation was connected to the layoffs or the institution’s financial condition.
Sampson joined the Academy shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced museums and cultural institutions across California to close temporarily. In a statement Thursday, Board of Trustees Chair John C. Dwyer said Sampson helped guide the institution through a “turbulent and pivotal period.”
During Sampson’s tenure, the Academy expanded several environmental and conservation initiatives, including Hope for Reefs, a coral ecosystem protection program, and Reimagining San Francisco, a coalition focused on environmental issues in urban communities.
The Board said it will begin searching for a permanent executive director in the coming months.
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