Wings Over the Rockies CEO out after eight months

After eight months in the cockpit, the top leader at Wings Over the Rockies is out.

Marcus Harshaw is no longer the Denver aviation museum’s president and CEO.

The circumstances of the departure are unclear. Harshaw did not respond to BusinessDen’s requests for comment.

David Dickerson, a museum board member, has taken over as president and CEO. He did not address the reason for the change in an email.

“Wings Over the Rockies has transitioned its leadership and remains focused on continuing to inspire and educate through our mission. … Our staff and board are united in ensuring stability and continuing to serve our community,” Dickerson said.

Wings Over the Rockies also laid off some employees in recent months, according to a source familiar with the matter. Dickerson, a pilot who has worked in marketing through his Golden-based firm GraceDickerson, didn’t respond when asked about that.

When Harshaw started work as CEO in January, museum board chairman Charlie Johnson touted Harshaw’s two decades of experience in a news release. Harshaw was formerly the associate museum director for experiences at Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“Marcus’ proven leadership in driving museum growth, creating exceptional visitor experiences, and building strong community partnerships makes him the ideal leader to shape Wings’ future,” Johnson said at the time.

“My goal is to elevate the museum to new heights, sharing the future of aviation and space exploration,” Harshaw said in the January news release.

Wings had revenue of $8.7 million in 2023, up from $5.3 million in 2022, according to its most recent publicly available tax return. John Barry, the museum’s president and CEO before Harshaw, made $244,000 in 2023, documents show.

In addition to its museum in Denver’s Lowry neighborhood, Wings also has a center at Centennial Airport called Exploration of Flight.

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