The president and CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS), Joel A. Bartsch, manages and guides museum curators and staff in the development of immersive exhibits, educational programs, membership growth, and philanthropic projects. Joel A. Bartsch also spent more than a decade as a curator, director of science, and project manager at HMNS.

In 2020, HMNS was named a Certified Autism Center by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), the world's leading training and certification entity for fair treatment of people with cognitive disorders. Being awarded the designation by IBCCES means HMNS has sufficiently trained and certified staff to provide sensory guidance for visitors.

Since the designation, HMNS has continued to improve its exhibits department in disability inclusivity and sensory experiences to better serve individuals who are autistic. In this endeavor, the museum trained more staff in disability awareness. The museum also works toward more inclusive hiring practices to provide job opportunities for staff with sensory disabilities.

Joel A. Bartsch holds responsibilities as CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) and has wide-ranging responsibilities that include planning and overseeing exhibitions. In February 2021, Joel Bartsch and the HMNS staff opened the doors to POMPEII: The Exhibition. This exhibition provides a unique look at a cataclysmic eruption two millennia ago that preserved an ancient Roman city intact at the moment of the catastrophe.

In 79 AD, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius suddenly covered Pompeii under blankets of pumice and ash, with a vivid snapshot of life preserved until it was rediscovered in the late 16th century. An impetus for the development of the discipline of archaeology, the residences included intact pottery, mosaics, painting, and graffiti.

A primary value of the excavations was in providing an accurate snapshot of everyday Roman life. The HMNS exhibit includes a food stand of ancient Pompeii that features well-preserved paintings of ducks and a rooster. This artwork apparently served the same function as a branding logo does for contemporary fast food establishments, in enticing customers to sample culinary offerings.

Texas resident Joel A. Bartsch serves as the CEO of the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS) in Houston. In this role, Joel Bartsch is responsible for organizing exciting exhibits at the museum.

The museum hosts topics ranging from the complexity of the galaxy to the wonders of the living beings and plants that exist now and have existed in prehistory. In September 2020, HMNS hosted the Gunther von Hagen’s Body Worlds & the Cycle of Life exhibit.

The exhibit featured the machinery of a human body, placing emphasis on how good and poor health combined with lifestyle choices can affect the body. The showcase placed more than 100 preserved human specimens on exhibit, which showed visitors the resiliency, fragility, and complexity of the body through disease, distress, and good health.
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The exhibit placed human health and well-being throughout time at the forefront of conversation. Visitors viewed the plastinated organs, joints and bones in various states of condition, which for many, was a reminder to remain healthy.

This exhibit was so popular with Houston residents that the HMNS received several inquiries regarding the return of the exhibit. In fact, according to a press release sent out in September, this particular exhibit was the most frequently visited in the museum’s history.