Maritime Museum Of San Diego Sets Bold Course Under New Leadership With Support From Prebys Foundation
Transformational Vision Anchored by Commitment to a Community-Focused Expansion
SAN DIEGO, CA – The Maritime Museum of San Diego, a nonprofit institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating the region’s rich seafaring heritage, is embarking on a bold new chapter of growth and innovation. Under the leadership of newly appointed President and CEO Christina Connett Brophy, Ph.D., the Museum is unveiling a long-range vision to expand its reach as a vital center for education, arts and culture, ocean sustainability, and community engagement on the downtown waterfront.
To help catalyze the re-imagined museum, the Prebys Foundation has awarded the Museum a matching grant as part of a broader commitment to civic revitalization—an investment designed to strengthen arts and culture institutions that provide affordable, accessible venues for the region.
According to Christina Connett Brophy, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, “I want to express our deepest gratitude for the generous support of The Prebys Foundation. Leveraging this opportunity to achieve matching contributions, celebrate new visions and collaborations for the future and further develop our community engagement on all fronts is a strong and positive step towards realizing the next chapter for the museum. The Maritime Museum of San Diego is committed to serving the greater social good for the people of San Diego and beyond through a maritime lens. We are mariners, stewards, storytellers, educators, conveners, volunteers, and community partners bound together by a love of and respect for the sea. We are expanding the museum’s core vision to not only focus on our own passions for all things maritime, but to connect with people who currently do not see themselves represented at the Museum.”
Founded in 1948, the Maritime Museum of San Diego has one of the world’s finest collections of historic ships, including the world’s oldest active ship, Star of India. The iron-hulled beauty was launched at Ramsey Shipyard in 1863 in the Isle of Man originally named Euterpe, after the Greek goddess of muse of music and poetry. Renamed Star of India, the 220-foot bark rigged vessel retired from service in 1923 and arrived in San Diego in 1927 to begin the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s history as a component of the San Diego Zoological Society. Today, she celebrates both a state and national historic landmark status, for locals and visitors to explore along the waterfront.
Dr. Brophy’s passion is clear. “We are reimagining the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s overarching narrative, campus, and collections to create a comprehensive and exciting experience for audiences while raising the institutions capacity for best in practice stewardship. The overarching vision is to bring the museum into the 21st century through content, community engagement, robust visiting vessel programs, partnerships with Blue Economy leaders, expanding our education programs and workforce development pathways, maximizing the potential of our assets with expanded visitor experiences, getting more people on the water, developing marine science and ocean sustainability exhibitions and programs, and connecting our historic vessels in a meaningful way to the advancements in maritime activities we see all around us.”
Dr. Brophy is the first woman to lead the organization as President & CEO and embraces the opportunity ahead. She brings more than a decade of leadership experience in the museum industry, where she has championed cultural enrichment and fostered meaningful connections within the community. Her dedication to cultivating impactful experiences and her visionary approach make her uniquely positioned to steer the Maritime Museum of San Diego into its next chapter of growth and success.
Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation, emphasized the importance of supporting cultural institutions that are thinking ambitiously about their public mission and regional impact. “This partnership reflects the Prebys Foundation’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive, connected, and thriving San Diego. The Maritime Museum of San Diego is redefining what it means to be a cultural anchor on our waterfront,” said Oliphant. “Under Dr. Brophy’s leadership, this project is not about buildings—it is about vision. It is about creating a space where history, innovation, education, and community all meet. We are proud to support this extraordinary effort to make our region’s cultural assets more vibrant, accessible, and future facing.”
Dr. Brophy’s previous leadership roles include serving as senior vice president of the Mystic Seaport Museum and the Douglas and Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for the Chief Curator at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Throughout her career, Dr. Brophy has consistently demonstrated her dedication to creating opportunities and improving the lives of individuals and families in the communities she serves. She is a champion of a sustainable ocean and the preservation of our global maritime heritage.