White Oak Professionals

John W. Jacobsen
President

John W. Jacobsen, White Oak’s president, was associate director of the Museum of Science in Boston in the ’80’s, leading the Theaters and Marketing Division, and he was also executive producer of their highly successful $24 million Hall Wing and Mugar Omni Theater. During Jacobsen’s tenure and under Dr. Roger Nichols’ leadership, overall Museum attendance grew from 950,000 to 2.2 million visitors per year. Since then, Mr. Jacobsen and White Oak have led strategic planning and marketing initiatives for many of America’s new science centers, history museums, children’s museums and other family learning centers. As Executive Producers, White Oak formed the Ocean Film Network to provide financing for The Living Sea, an Oscar®-nominated film in the IMAX® Hall of Fame. Mr. Jacobsen was the principal planner for new, expanding and re-invented community museums in Wichita, Des Moines, New London, Calgary, Richmond (VA), Anaheim, Rochester (NY), Hartford, Denver, Edmonton, Peoria, Ottawa and other communities. Through conference sessions and publications, Mr. Jacobsen has contributed new models for the museum and special format theater fields that respond to evolving social and economic conditions. Jacobsen’s BA and MFA are from Yale University.

Jeanie Stahl
Vice President

Jeanie Stahl, vice president, joined White Oak full time in 1989, bringing to the firm her expertise in research and finance. She developed White Oak’s extensive database on museums and worked closely with White Oak’s clients to develop attendance projections and business plans that are sustainable and realistic. Her expertise in interpreting and analyzing operating performance was acknowledged in the museum field. She advised several museum associations in developing questions, definitions and key performance indicators for their member surveys. She also developed the key performance indicators and associated explanatory reports for the Association of Children’s Museums’ on-line Benchmarking Calculator. Working with Mr. Jacobsen, Ms. Stahl was the co-executive producer of the Oscar®-nominated giant screen film in the IMAX® Hall of Fame®, The Living Sea. Prior to joining White Oak, Ms. Stahl was head of finance at a major New England audio-visual and communications company and previously was a research analyst for an international consulting firm. Ms. Stahl is a Wellesley graduate and an accomplished musician and recording artist.

Victor A. Becker
Director of Program Development

Victor A. Becker, director of program development since 1991, contributed to White Oak his 40 years of experience in applying the principles of theater to space planning, special events, exhibits, theaters and architecture. Mr. Becker developed the Owner’s architectural specifications to the architectural team for new and expanding museum buildings: Peoria, Orlando, Richmond, Calgary, Rochester, Las Vegas, West Palm Beach, Wichita, Des Moines, Anaheim, Hartford, Charlotte, Edmonton. He designed Delta galleries and theaters in The Carnegie Science Center, Exploration Place, Science Center of Iowa and White Oak’s other museums, worked with a number of award-winning architects, and designed more than 250 theater productions in regional and academic theaters across the US and Canada. Mr. Becker received a BA in biochemistry and sculpture at the University of Rochester and a MFA in theater design at Brandeis University. Mr. Becker completed six years as a Trustee of the New Hampshire Farm Museum and continues his work directing the restoration of the 1895 Wakefield Town and Opera House.

Mark Peterson
Director of Theater Analysis and Planning Services

We lost Mark Peterson, White Oak's director of theater analysis and planning services, in 2021 to heart failure. He had been involved in theater-related work since 1965. During that time, he gained expertise in areas ranging from planetarium administration and show production to themed/destination facility concept programming and giant screen motion picture theater project support. Mr. Peterson organized his consulting firm, Maximum Image Associates, in September 1985, which merged with White Oak in 1993. He worked on over 100 theater/media-oriented projects, and he wrote the IMAX®/OMNIMAX® Theater Operating Handbook for IMAX® Corporation. Prior to White Oak, he worked with ITEC Attractions *International Tourist Entertainment Corporation) to assist in developing IMAX® tourist destination theaters in Branson, Missouri and St. Thomas, U.SD. Virgin Islands. Mr. Peterson held a BS in georgraphy and earth science from the University of Utah.

Research, report processing, logistics, team communicatoins and numerous other customer services were provided by White Oak’s Office Associates, Karen Hefler and Rebecca Robison.

Complementing in-house staff were a team of museum professionals that included some of the best professionals currently practicing in top management positions at major museums.