BOZEMAN — Chris Dobbs, executive director of the Museum of the Rockies, is leaving after 8 years to become director of the Adirondack Experience in upstate New York. His last day is June 30.
During his tenure, Dobbs guided the Bozeman museum through facility changes and the COVID-19 pandemic, overseeing significant growth in annual attendance — from 189,000 visitors per year to a quarter of a million last year. Attendance in 2026 shows every sign of exceeding that number.
WATCH: 8 years, record attendance, and a groundbreaking exhibit on the way. Chris Dobbs reflects on his time at Museum of the Rockies
Dobbs credited the museum's growth to a focus on listening to what members and the general public want, even as 52% of museums nationwide have seen fewer visitors since the pandemic.
"One of the things that sets Museum of the Rockies apart from so many other peer institutions is we work really hard at understanding what our members want and what the general public wants. And because of listening to the public I feel like that's part of the magic of why we've seen such a big increase in attendance," Dobbs said.
That same visitor-focused philosophy shaped what Dobbs described as one of the most significant projects of his time at the museum — a major Indigenous history exhibit years in the making that is unlike any other currently in the United States.
"Right now for really the last 5-6 years we've been working on a major Indigenous history exhibit and changing that from the traditional curatorial driven approach to saying no you know what we're going to do is actually allow the tribes and individuals to talk about their culture and their perspective and where they are today. And that's a very different take and through that and building relationship and building trust that's been one of the most magical parts of being here at Museum of the Rockies. Is listening to other people," Dobbs said.
Senior Director of Exhibits and the Planetarium Scott Williams will take over as interim director while a national search for Dobbs' replacement is conducted.
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