Laurie Mitchell, president of the Children’s Museum San Diego, right, presented Rachel Teagle as the new executive director at a recent fund-raising party.

Rachel Teagle is leaving her post as curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to become executive director of The Children’s Museum/Museo de los Niños San Diego, which is raising funds for its new structure, a 50,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building Downtown. Teagle will replace Kay Wagner, who spearheaded development plans of the new museum. Wagner retires on May 31.

Teagle has a doctorate in art history from Stanford University and has developed programming and exhibitions for more than a decade. She has been curator at several institutions in California, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Construction began on the new museum last June and the grand opening is planned for early 2008. The fund-raising goal is $28 million. The largest portion, $25 million, is to pay for construction of the new museum. The rest will be held as an endowment for day-to-day operations. Donations can be made online at childrensmuseumsd.org or by calling campaign director Carolyn Clark at (619) 233-8792, Ext. 107.