Who We Are

Hi, I'm Meg Hagen.

Hi, I'm Meg Hagen.

Meg Hagen

And I am Erin Gallagher.

And I am Erin Gallagher.

Erin Gallagher


Meg and Erin are friends, Franklin residents, involved members of the community, and parents to a collective five amazing young kids. Unknowingly, for the last several years, they’ve had a shared dream – to bring a children’s museum, and with it an educational and social community, to the area of Franklin, MA.

Meg brings an extensive background in pharmacy, in which she holds a doctorate. She has guest lectured at multiple universities. She spent five years working and living in Australia with her husband and, upon returning to Massachusetts, took a break from a full-time office job to raise her two young sons, now seven and four, and to give back to the community.

Erin has a marketing and communications background and, in past professional positions, touched a variety of industries and a spectrum of marketing-related functions. She has experience in higher education and financial services, as well as with a boutique professional services firm.

Meg and Erin helped to found Franklin Area Moms, a regional parent organization designed to build a supportive community of connection for parents and their children, of which Erin is currently President.

Meg is the former chair of the Franklin Conservation Commission, as well as a member the Franklin Master Plan Committee. Additionally, in the last several years, Meg combined her momming (it’s a word) and teaching experience to teach pre school at the Franklin Children’s School.

Erin is a member of the Franklin School Committee, a member of the Franklin Master Plan Committee, and a volunteer foster care case reviewer for the Department of Children and Families. Most importantly, she is mom to three wild and wonderful kiddos: seven, five and three.

Meg and Erin passionately pursued the creation of Children’s Museum of Franklin in an effort to build community, to create meaningful parent and caregiver connections, and to provide a safe and imaginative place for children to explore, learn, and grow together.

Meet the Board

Emily Martins, esq Vice President

Michele Kane Board Member

Matt Jones, cpa Treasurer

Hayley Doucette Board Member

Meet the Advisory Committee

We know that success is tied to surrounding ourselves with experts in a variety of fields. It is for this reason that we’ve built out a (still growing) advisory committee touching everything from real estate development, to accessibility, to museum management and design, to fundraising and much more. Meet the committee below.

Neil Gordon

Former CEO, Discovery Acton

Tiffany O’Connor

Speech Language Pathologist

Marissa O’Donnell

Corporate & Foundation Partnerships, Susan G. Komen

Stefanie Izzi

Accessibility Advocate & Advisor

Sarah Dutile

HR Compliance & Privacy, Dell

Brad Chaffee

Owner, Camford Property Group

Jenny Cleary

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

What We’ll Offer

  • Exhibits designed for infant–10 years

  • Programming for elementary & middle school aged children

  • Leadership & internship opportunities for high school & college students

  • A place to build community for adult caregivers & youth

FAQs

  • While we don’t have a physical location yet, we are actively pursuing a location in dowtown Franklin. In the meantime, we’re operating as a Mobile Museum, popping up around the community with our exhibits.

  • We’re hoping to open in our first home in the fall of 2024. As a community-supported non-profit, our ability to grow depends on generous donations from the community. Learn more about how you can support us here.

  • For the latest on what’s coming up, visit our events page: https://www.childrensmuseumfranklin.org/events

  • As a community-supported non-profit, it is individual, community, and corporate donations that will be instrumental to getting us into a physical space. Learn more here.