Pittsburgh native ‘took her shot’ and just made history in the space industry

PITTSBURGH — A new executive director at a Pittsburgh museum is breaking barriers in the space industry.

The Moonshot Space Museum first opened in the fall of 2022. Wednesday, it announced its new executive director who will officially take the reins in late June.

Dr. Jimyse Brown is a Pittsburgh native and brings a decade of experience in the fields of education and community engagement. She was a collegiate and European athlete and has a master’s degree in business management and a Ph.D. in community engagement from Point Park University.

She steps into her new role as executive director of the Moonshot Space Museum gratefully but admits this was never part of her plan.

“I wish I could say that it’s a dream come true. It’s a dream that I didn’t even know that I could have,” Brown said in her first sit-down interview. “To me, it’s a privilege when I think about the shoulders that I stand on.”

Brown is the first Black director of a space museum in Pennsylvania, as well as the first Black director globally to lead a museum that is focused on career readiness for the 21st-century space industry.

“I will gladly break any barriers that I have to when it comes to diversifying and making sure that the space industry is more inclusive from multiple intersectional standpoints,” Brown said.

She describes herself as innovative and a visionary, traits she’ll need to tap into to succeed in her new role.

Brown’s roots are in Wilkinsburg. She started her education journey in the Wilkinsburg School District. The district no longer has a high school.

“From Wilkinsburg School District and going to Kelly Elementary, my mom put me in Winchester Thurston and I went there and had the opportunity to expand my education,” she said.

She had a passion for science growing up. That took a backseat while she made a name for herself on the basketball court, first in high school at Winchester Thurston School then in college at Sheppard University and then overseas where she played semi-professionally in England.

She knew one day she would likely return to the city where her story began.

“There’s just something about this gravitational pull of Pittsburgh that makes you not only proud to be from here but want to be a part of continuing to strengthen the community,” Brown said.

The museum offers a unique lens into space. There are interactive exhibits and visitors can watch as crews assemble the next lunar lander that Astrobotic will send to the moon. The museum is housed inside Astrobotic on the north side of Pittsburgh, a short walk from the Carnegie Science Center and Acrisure Stadium. It is also minutes away from Allegheny Commons Park and the National Aviary.

Brown hopes her new role inspires all Pittsburgh kids that they can have a career in the space industry if they want one, that they should “shoot for the moon” and believe they can land.

“They can be a marketing exec for NASA. They can be the next graphic designer for Astrobotic. They can be – hopefully not too soon – but the next executive director of the Moonshot Museum themselves,” she said with a laugh. “Within the sports world, we say that you miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take. And I just took a shot.”

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