Over the course of his career, Todd Slisher has seen the significant positive impact that museums can have on children. Todd is currently the executive director and CEO of Flint’s Sloan Museum of Discovery and Longway Planetarium, and has more than 30 years of experience in the museum industry. As kids routinely visited his museums, he observed how excited they were to learn as they interacted with exhibits and museum programs.

Fostering that educational excitement for kids was a major reason why Todd wanted to help launch Flint Cultural Center Academy (FCCA), which opened in 2019. “I really liked the idea of creating a high achieving charter school in Flint for students where they could take advantage of the cultural center resources,” said Todd, who is the FCCA board president.  “Students would get a well-rounded traditional educational experience on top of incredible supplemental programs in art, science, history, social studies, music and dance provided by FCCA partners.”

Establishing a culture of learning and high performance is a key goal for Todd, his fellow board members, and school leadership. Todd praised the collaborative work that has been accomplished so far, saying the board and the school leader bring a fantastic blend of experiences to the table to shepherd the school through its early years. For Todd and the others, it all comes down to elevating their city’s future generations. “If you’re going to be a charter school board member, you must be prepared for the time commitment,” he said. “There is a lot to learn about school and policies, but also make sure that you take time to enjoy the kids. Attend school functions besides board meetings to see how the students interact with each other and their teachers.”