Michael A. Jehle
Michael Jehle has been the Executive Director of the Fairfield Museum and History Center since 2006. In that role he directs organizational operations, leads planning and institutional advancement, and guides the Museum’s many educational and community initiatives. Michael spearheaded the creation of the Museum’s 13,000 sf facility on Fairfield’s historic Town Green, and has guided a comprehensive revitalization of the Museum’s mission.
Following an early career as a tall ship mariner, Michael has been a museum professional for more than 37 years. He has worked at a wide range of organizations, including Mystic Seaport and the Philadelphia Maritime Museum. He served for 10 years as the Director of Museums and Curator at Nantucket Historical Association and as Curator and COO at New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Michael holds a bachelor’s degree in History and American Studies from Kalamazoo College, a Master’s degree with honors in American Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and has completed advanced studies in executive leadership at the Getty Leadership Institute and the Harvard Business School Executive Education Program. He has been honored as a Paul Cuffee Research Fellow; IPAM visiting curator at the Australian National Maritime Museum; a Research Fellow at the Sainsbury Institute for the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas; and as a founding member of Fairfield County Community Foundation’s Executive Leadership Program. Michael was recently awarded the Daniel E. Offutt III Arts & Culture Empowerment Award by the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County.