As President & CEO of Discovery World, I was responsible for merging two existing, but very distinct, nonprofit organizations–Discovery World and Pier Wisconsin. I led a team that raised $64+ Million to build & open a new 120,000 square-foot facility on the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee. Simultaneously, my team & I worked with corporate and private donors to develop multimillion dollar exhibits related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and freshwater conservation. Establishing the new Discovery World was a coordinated community-wide effort that resulted in an iconic representation of creativity & innovation; increased membership & attendance; new corporate, foundation & private donor relationships; strategic collaborative partnerships. I learned how to merge two organizations with very different cultures; and I positioned the organization positively to donors and the general public, even as our internal turmoil during the merger was as rough as the Great Lakes during the worst of storms.