IGNITE Names Executive Director As Work Moves Forward On Saban Center

TUSCALOOSA, AL — IGNITE, the Saban Center’s interactive STEM-with-Arts learning platform, has named Martin S. Fisher as its new executive director.

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The appointment to the role was effective Feb. 2.

As Patch previously reported, IGNITE is a reimagining of the Children’s Hands on Museum (CHOM) and the Saban Center remains on track to open in June 2027.

Fisher joins the Tuscaloosa project with decades of experience in the science center and museum field, including leadership of Science Central in Fort Wayne, Indiana. His career also includes positions at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center in Norfolk, Virginia; the Omaha Children’s Museum in Omaha, Nebraska; and COSI, the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio.

“I am thrilled to join this project,” Fisher said. “I am truly impressed with how the Saban Center team and CHOM Board of Directors have worked incredibly hard to lead IGNITE. I am eager to work with them, as well as the other on-site Saban Center partners, the Alabama State STEM Hub and the Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre, as the Saban Center continues to be constructed. IGNITE will be such an important part of this community.”

As executive director, he will oversee the launch of IGNITE’s planned facility featuring maker spaces, digital media labs, immersive science zones and hands-on learning experiences designed to integrate STEM with the arts.

He outlined the organization’s priorities as it moves toward opening, which includes ensuring staff readiness and operational systems in the short term, expanding programs and experiences in the midterm, and pursuing potential expansion or capital projects in the long term.

“IGNITE’s visitors will learn basic scientific principles, understand how those concepts connect to their own lives, and most importantly, discover that science is fun and accessible to everyone,” Fisher said. “Through hands-on exhibits designed to spark curiosity, we work alongside the State of Alabama STEM Hub to expose students to STEM career pathways right here in Alabama.”

IGNITE will mark Fisher’s appointment with a community engagement event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Tuscaloosa River Market.

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