Laura Hine has been named executive director of The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art, the museum recently announced.
“Laura oversaw the development of The James Museum coordinating the architecture, construction and development of the commercial spaces on Central Avenue. Laura possesses important leadership qualities including business sense, common sense, and strong interpersonal skills. Now that the museum is in a strong position when it comes to daily operations, we will broaden our team with a board of trustees, engage in strategic planning and take actions necessary to ensure the long-term vitality of the museum. Laura’s skills will be instrumental to this. I couldn’t be more pleased to continue working with her in this new capacity,” said Tom James, who founded the museum with his wife, Mary, with their personal collection.
The downtown St. Petersburg museum contains over 400 works of art selected from over 3,000 pieces acquired by the James’ over their 50 years of art collecting. The 88,000 square foot museum includes over 30,000 square feet of gallery space.
Ms. Hine has two school-aged children, and is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Aerospace Engineering. She served six years in active duty as a surface warfare officer with multiple deployments, crossing the Pacific four times by ship. Overseeing emergency response functions on a guided-missile cruiser, then leading a detachment of hovercraft, she also served as part of a team that liaised with the United Nations planning and executing humanitarian aid projects in Southeast Asia. Ms. Hine earned her MBA at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg while working for the Beck Group leading construction projects in the Tampa Bay area and South Florida. While working on The James Museum project, Ms. Hine was also the founding president of the not-for-profit Friends of North Shore Elementary, according to the museum.
Her husband is Hank Hine, executive director of The Dail.