Museum of the Bible Appoints Dr. Tony Zeiss Executive Director
Longtime College President, Author and Speaker to Lead Operations for
New Museum in Washington Focused on Bible Engagement
WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2016—Today Museum of the Bible announced the appointment of Dr. Paul Anthony “Tony” Zeiss as the executive director for its D.C. museum. In this role, which he officially begins on Jan. 1, 2017, Zeiss will lead the daily operations of the 430,000-square-foot museum in Washington whose goal is to invite all people to engage with the history, narrative and impact of the Bible. The $500 million project (cost of construction, renovation and real estate) is located three blocks from the U.S. Capitol and is scheduled to open in November 2017.
“After a year-long search, we are thrilled to have found in Dr. Tony Zeiss a proven leader in building and managing large, complex operations,” said Cary Summers, president of Museum of the Bible. “With our construction phase rapidly progressing toward operations, Tony’s executive leadership and workforce development expertise will greatly assist us as we begin staffing up to open to the public in November 2017.”
Museum of the Bible expects to add more than 200 staff and volunteers in Washington before the museum opens.
Zeiss comes to Museum of the Bible after serving some 24 years as president of Central Piedmont Community College. One of the largest community colleges in North Carolina, Central Piedmont serves approximately 70,000 students per year. During his tenure, the college grew from one campus to six and has become recognized as a national leader in workforce development.
He is a past chair of the board of the American Association of Community Colleges; past board chair for the League for Innovation, an international nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate innovation in the community college environment; and was the Association of Community College Trustees’ National CEO of the Year for 2004 – 2005.
“The immense scale of this museum, its incredible mission to invite all people to engage with the Bible and the inspiring vision of putting the Bible back into the center of conversation are what attracted me to join this significant undertaking,” said Zeiss.
Zeiss is a professional speaker and a frequent keynoter for companies and colleges on the topic of recruiting, developing and retaining peak performers in the workplace. He regularly consults on workforce and resource development, and frequently serves as a workgroup member for the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor.
An author or co-author of several books on economic development, adult literacy, national workforce development and the Civil War, Zeiss’ most recently published works include four books on creating high-performance employees, a book on community college leadership, a tribute to John Montgomery Belk and a novel on the Revolutionary War. He previously edited and directed the most comprehensive national workforce training study in the nation, which resulted in the monograph Building America’s Best Workforce.
Zeiss holds a doctorate in community college administration from Nova University in Florida, and a master’s degree in speech (radio and television) and a bachelor’s degree in speech education from Indiana State University. His early career included teaching full-time at the high school and community college levels, and serving as an adjunct professor at the university level.
About Museum of the Bible
Museum of the Bible is an innovative, global, educational institution whose purpose is to invite all people to engage with the Bible. In 2017, Museum of the Bible, which aims to be the most technologically advanced museum in the world, will open its 430,000-square-foot nonprofit museum just three blocks from the Capitol in Washington, D.C. A digital fly-through and a 360-degree hardhat tour of the museum are available on youtube.com/museumofBible.
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