Museum of World War II Appoints New Director

Photo Credit: Museum of World War II Boston/Whit Haynes

The Museum of World War II has appointed Samantha Heywood as museum director and director of exhibitions.

Heywood joins the Museum of World War II, located in Natick, from the Imperial War Museum in London, where she served as director of public programs. Heywood, who will report directly to Kenneth W. Rendell, founder and executive director of the Museum of World War II, will be responsible for developing museum exhibits. Heywood began her tenure at the museum in October.

“I am thrilled to join a museum as renowned and highly-regarded as the Museum of World War II,” said Heywood in an announcement. “I have worked on a number of museum projects from their earliest stages, but the Museum of World War II’s world-class collection is unmatched. I see my role as taking the Museum of World War II on to its next iteration -- from being an amazing collection on display to telling a complex and personal narrative of the war through unique and hands-on exhibits.”

Heywood has more than 20 years of experience at the Imperial War Museum, where she was an integral part of the museum’s learning and exhibition projects.

Most recently these projects included the award-winning First World War Galleries and atrium that opened at Imperial War Museum London in 2014, and the WWI Centenary Exhibition that premiered at Melbourne Museum in Australia in 2015.

Before that, Heywood led national projects to commemorate the 60th anniversaries of World War II, and developed the public education programs at Imperial War Museum North and the Churchill War Rooms in London. Heywood is a trained history teacher, and obtained degrees from the London School of Economics and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies in London.

“The Museum of World War II is experiencing incredible growth,” said Rendell in the statement. “Samantha is joining at a very exciting time and we know that her background and expertise will only continue to drive the museum forward. Samantha will be instrumental in developing unrivaled and comprehensive exhibits and programs for the museum, providing insight into the causes and consequences of World War II, and the often-misunderstood nature of those times and events.”

Information via Museum of WWII