CEO Corner
Updates from Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams is the President & CEO of the Pacific Battleship Center, home of the Battleship IOWA, LA Fleet Week, and the National Museum of the Surface Navy. A purpose-driven leader and storyteller, he shares updates and insights from one of the nation’s most innovative nonprofit organizations. His writing explores leadership, community, and culture — connecting lessons from the deck plate to the boardroom while highlighting the people, progress, and purpose that continue to drive the mission forward.
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Battleship IOWA Museum Ship Restoration Update
While we remain open, although with very reduced attendance, our operations team and volunteers continue to tackle various restoration projects on Battleship IOWA. Fantail IOWA's aft fantail helicopter landing deck is receiving a new non-skid surface. This effort is very labor intensive. The old surface is taken off first, along with the rust. This process is followed by coating the surface with five layers of sand and very expensive paint. Our painter Mary Ma-Stoddard, along with many...
Battleship IOWA Veterans Programs Receive Funding from Phillips 66
Battleship IOWA Museum Webcast: Defense Support of Civil Authorities
Battleship IOWA Museum has a new webcast. In our first episode join CEO Jonathan Williams and Chairman of the Board RADM (Ret) Mike Shatynski as they welcome three special guests to discuss the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief role of DSCA - Defense Support of Civil Authorities. The National Museum of the Surface Navy (NMSN) will be located aboard the existing Battleship IOWA Museum at the Port of Los Angeles. With your support, it will be America's first state-of-the-art museum...
CEO Update for July 12, 2020
IOWA Family: There is a lot on our mind this coming week. First off, our thoughts go out to the sailors and freedom protectors aboard fellow Surface Navy ship USS Bonhomme Richard, which is currently on fire in San Diego. US Navy sailors are some of the best at damage control and I am certain that they are giving it their all in fighting the fire. We pray that everyone is safe and it is quickly extinguished! The movie Greyhound was released on Friday and it is a story about the Battle of...
Battleship USS Iowa July 6 Update
IOWA Family: I hope you had a wonderful and safe Independence Day weekend! I am just returning from a camping excursion with my immediate family in the California Sierra's. It was relaxing and beautiful to say the least. I stayed in close touch with the happenings aboard the ship on a daily basis during my vacation. As you may be aware, the State and County rolled back openings last Wednesday to assist in addressing the increase in Covid-19 cases. This resulted in the team adjusting our...
2nd Week of Reopening
We are in our 2nd week of reopening the Battleship USS Iowa Museum in Los Angeles. Last week we experienced higher traffic from the prior week, but remain drastically reduced year over year. A big thank you to all of our donors and crew who continue to support us during the pandemic. Stay safe and Happy Fathers Day!
Week of 06/15/20
IOWA Family: Thank you for continuing to support the Battleship IOWA Museum during this pandemic and resulting recovery. There is no doubt that the next several months will be challenging for each and every one of us. My heart weighs heavy with the impact the pandemic will have on so many individuals and family. We start off this week with a bit more optimism, as this weekend had 139 guests or about 10% of 2019 guest count of 1,331. Our retail, overnight, and event programs will remain closed...
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