Originally published in Carroll Capital, the print publication of the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. .Ìę
The Museum of Worcester has lived many lives over the years. It was the Worcester Society of Antiquity when it was incorporated in 1877. Then, in 1919, it became the Worcester Historical Society. When Eric Butler, MBA â12, was growing up, he knew it as the Worcester Historical Museum. And in 2025, the space reinvented itself again as the Museum of Worcester, just in time for Butler to take the reins as executive director this past winter.
Itâs not just a name change, but an affirmation of the museumâs mission to celebrate the Worcester community. âWe do think about the museum as Worcesterâs museum, the museum of the people,â Butler says. A lifelong resident of the city, heâs proud to be part of that group.
Much like the museum, Butler has also lived many lives. After studying theater and psychology at Holy Cross, he went on to get his MBA from the Carroll School. He has held development roles in the education and education technology sectorsâmost recently as vice president of development for City Yearâand also founded Broadway in Worcester in 2022, inviting award-winning performers to central Massachusetts each year.Ìę
Now, Butlerâs bringing that versatility to his latest role. He had big shoes to fill when he became executive director in January. His predecessor, Bill Wallace, ran the Museum of Worcester for nearly 50 years. âItâs definitely daunting,â Butler said shortly after stepping into the role, but he has hit the ground running.
Although the museum is on solid financial footing, he knows that his business skills will be key to the success of future projects like incorporating more interactive technology into exhibits and expanding the gallery dedicated to the work of late Worcester artist Harvey Ball, creator of the iconic yellow smiley face. When renovations are complete, the gallery âwill be the happiest place in Worcester,â Butler says, flashing a big smile himself.
“ I have embraced that entrepreneurial spirit. Itâs needed just as much in the arts and culture sector as in Silicon Valley. ”
Worcester has long been a hub for industry. In the museumâs Fuller Gallery of Industrial History, everything from corsets to cans of Polar Seltzer to NASA space suitsâall items that have been produced in the cityâpack the display cases, but Butler believes itâs Worcesterâs culture that makes the city special. âIt really is the vibrancy of life,â he says; things like the museum, the Worcester Red Sox minor league team, and his work with Broadway in Worcester add to that vibrancy. âThatâs what people stay in communities for,â Butler adds. He hopes that people continue to see the museum as part of that essential cultural patchwork.
He knows all about feeling connected to a mission. After his time at Holy Cross, joining another strong Jesuit institution like Boston College resonated with Butler. Although he recalls once being told that he might be âtoo nice for business school,â heâs grateful to have found such a supportive environment in the Carroll School, especially as someone with no previous business education.
âIf you had asked me what Brown Brothers Harriman was when I first started business school, Iâd be like, âDo they sell menâs clothes?ââ he jokes, referencing the esteemed investment banking firm and alluding to Brooks Brothers. But he adds that the B-school experience helped evolve how he thought about the world and problem-solving.
Thereâs one particular lesson from his time at the Carroll School that Butler returns to often, especially as he considers the Museum of Worcesterâs future. While participating in TechTrek West and visiting alumni working in Silicon Valley, he realized that these individuals all had something important in common: They wore failure like a badge of honor.Ìę
âI have embraced that entrepreneurial spirit. Itâs needed just as much in the arts and culture sector as in Silicon Valley,â he says. âIn terms of experimentation and innovation as a smaller museum, I think we have the luxury to be nimble and try things out.â
