Beckel, who serves as vice-president of external relations at the university, will be leaving in June to join the Canadian Museum of Nature as director and chief executive officer.
“I and my colleagues will miss Meg immensely,” University of Waterloo President Feridun Hamdullahpur said in a memo.
Museums mean a lot to Beckel. The Royal Ontario Museum, where Beckel was chief operating officer, is included as a beneficiary in her will.
At the Canadian Museum of Nature, she succeeds Joanne DiCosimo, who retired in July 2010 after 13 years in office.
“I'm obviously thrilled and delighted at the opportunity,” Beckel says. “It'll be very exciting to be part of the Ottawa museum community.”
She says museums are important to communities as both places to learn and places to mingle with other members of the community.
“I think it's also a place for the community to be inspired.”
Beckel's work at the University of Waterloo included the creation of a principal gifts team, an annual and planned giving team, and a major gifts team for each faculty. She also worked heavily at developing a government relations plan.
Hamdullahpur's memo said she was successful in all of her endeavours at the university.
“In just under four short years Meg has accomplished all that she set out to do with and for the University of Waterloo,” he said.
Beckel says all of her experiences will help her in her new role.The museum already plays an important role in the community, and much of its work involves local contribution.
The museum's most recent exhibit, Arctic Kaleidoscope, features photographs of the arctic by an Ottawa-based photographer, Michelle Valberg.
The museum works with the community as much as possible, says Elizabeth McCrea, director of marketing and communications.
The museum has also worked with members of the local Asian community on events such as Asian Heritage Month, and often features the work of local artists and scientists, McCrea says.
Both Beckel and McCrea say that the value of the museum is both local and national, and that both need to be considered.