FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
August 4, 2006
Press Contacts
202-653-4632
Eileen Maxwell, emaxwell@imls.gov
Mamie Bittner, mbittner@imls.gov
Presidential Nominees Appointed to
National
Museum and Library Services Board
Washington, DC — The
U.S. Senate confirmed five presidential nominees to serve
as members of the National Museum and Library Services
Board last night. The board advises the Institute of
Museum and Library Services, an independent federal agency
that is the primary source of federal funds for the nation's
museums and libraries. “The Institute
enthusiastically welcomes these distinguished individuals
to the National Museum and Library Services Board,” said
the Institute’s
Director Anne-Imelda M. Radice. “Our agency is
committed to enhancing learning and innovation, sustaining
cultural heritage, and giving libraries and museums the
support they need to lead these efforts. We will benefit
greatly from the wealth of knowledge and expertise the
new board members will bring to the table.”
Katherine M. B. Berger, Trustee, Berger Collection
Educational Trust, Berryville, VA — Katherine
Berger is a Trustee of the Berger Collection Educational
Trust, whose mission is to promote the scholarship
of British Art and to connect kids with art through
educational programs. She has worked as a marketing
and communications consultant to the U.S. Department
of Education on the Teacher to Teacher Initiative.
Ms. Berger serves on the Advisory Counsel for the Museum
of the Shenandoah Valley. Since 1997 Ms. Berger has
served on the Board of the Jane Goodall Institute and
is currently on the Executive Committee. She has also
served on the boards of the Smithsonian’s
Conservation Research Center Foundation, Volunteers for
Outdoor Colorado, and the planning committee for the
Council on Foundations. Ms. Berger has worked as the
Director of Marketing for Berger Funds. She is a graduate
of the University of Colorado with a major in classics.
Karen Brosius, Executive Director, Columbia
Museum of Art, Columbia, SC — Karen
Brosius is Executive Director of the Columbia Museum
of Art in Columbia, South Carolina and was recently elected
to the Association of Art Museum Directors . Previously,
she worked at Altria Group for 21 years. During her time
with the company, she was the Director of Media Relations,
Director of Corporate Affairs, Director of Corporate Contributions
and Public Affairs, and Manager of Cultural Programs. Mrs.
Brosius has served on the boards of numerous arts organizations,
as well as AIDS and hunger relief organizations. She received
the 2006 “Woman of Distinction” Award from
the Girl Scouts of the Congaree in South Carolina for community
service. She has a bachelor of music degree from Butler
University, Indiana; a master’s degree in music history
from Hunter College, City University of New York; and has
studied music at the Juilliard School and with teacher
Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Before joining Altria Group,
Mrs. Brosius was head of public affairs for the Pierpont
Morgan Library in New York.
Ioannis N. Miaoulis, President and Director,
Museum of Science, Boston, MA — Ioannis
(Yannis) N. Miaoulis is President and Director of the
Museum of Science, Boston, one of the world’s
largest science centers. Originally from Greece, Dr. Miaoulis
came to the museum after a distinguished association with
Tufts University, where he was Dean of the School of Engineering
and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. An innovative
educator with a passion for science and engineering, Miaoulis
championed the introduction of engineering into the Massachusetts
science and technology public school curriculum. In 2001
this made the Commonwealth the first to develop statewide
curricular frameworks and assessments for K-12 engineering.
Dr. Miaoulis spearheaded creation of the National Center
for Technological Literacy® at the Museum in 2004 to
integrate engineering as a new discipline in schools nationwide
and to inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators.
He earned his bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in
mechanical engineering and his master’s degree in
economics at Tufts University. He also received a master’s
degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Dr. Miaoulis has published more
than 100 research papers and holds two patents. He is a
member of the Boards of Trustees of WGBH, the public broadcasting
station of Boston, and of Tufts University. He has also
served on the Massachusetts Math and Science Advisory Board
for several years.
Christina Orr-Cahall, Director,
Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, FL —
Christina Orr-Cahall is the Director of the Norton Museum
of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida. Under her leadership
during the last sixteen years, the Norton Museum expanded
its facility twice, garnered significant gifts of art,
and increased its endowments five-fold. The Norton Museum,
currently the largest art museum in Florida, is known
for its collections of European, American, Chinese, contemporary
art and photography. Ms. Orr-Cahall was previously the
CEO of the Corcoran Gallery and School of Art in Washington
D.C., and prior to that position, she directed the Art
Division of The Oakland Museum in California. In the 1980s
she was a member of the faculty of art, teaching art history
and museum studies, at California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo, where she received the Distinguished
Professor Award. Ms. Orr-Cahall has been active in the
Association of Art Museum Directors and is a past president
of the Florida Association of Museum Directors. She currently
sits on the Board of the Florida Association of Museums,
which represents approximately 300 museums statewide.
She has been involved as a committee member with Strategic
Planning for the Arts in Florida and has worked on the
Governor’s Committee on Tourism related to Culture
and Ecology, as the sole visual arts representative. Ms.
Orr-Cahall is an American art scholar with a doctorate
and master’s degree in philosophy, and a master’s
degree in art history from Yale University (CT). She earned
a Bachelor of Arts with highest honors from Mount Holyoke
College (MA). In addition, she studied at Oxford University
and the Ecole du Louvre where she read art and architectural
history.
Sandra Pickett, Commissioner and
Chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission,
Austin, TX — (Ms. Pickett has served on
the board since January 2005 and has been reappointed
for a full term.) Sandra Pickett is the Commissioner and
Chair of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission
She is also President of the Atascosito Historical Society.
From 1974 to 1998, Pickett served as Councilwoman and
Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Liberty. She has served as
Chairman of the Liberty County Historical Commission and
is a Director and past President of Preservation Texas.
Pickett served on the Board of Directors for the National
League of Cities as well as the Texas Association of Regional
Councils. She is the recipient of numerous honors, including
the Chamber of Commerce 1981 Citizen of the Year, the
1993 John Ben Shepperd Leadership Award from the Texas
Historical Commission, and the 1998 Rotary International
Paul Harris Fellow. Pickett earned her bachelor of science
degree from the University of Texas and her master of
arts degree from the University of Houston.
Kevin Starr, Professor, University
of Southern California, California State Librarian
Emeritus; San Francisco, CA — Kevin
Starr is the State Librarian Emeritus of California
and one of the state’s most respected and accomplished
historians. Dr. Starr currently holds the rank of University
Professor at the University of Southern California in
Los Angeles, and is a contributing editor to the opinion
section of the Los Angeles Times. The author of numerous
newspaper and magazine articles, he has written ten books,
six of which are part of his Americans and the California
Dream series. Dr. Starr’s writing has won him a
Guggenheim Fellowship, membership in the Society of American
Historians, and the Gold Medal of the Commonwealth Club
of California.
After graduating from the University of San Francisco
in 1962 and serving two years as a lieutenant in a tank
battalion in Germany, he entered Harvard University,
from which he earned master’s degree in 1965 and
a doctorate in 1969 in American Literature. Dr. Starr
also holds a Master of Library Science degree from the
University of California at Berkeley and has done post-doctoral
work at the Graduate Theological Union. Dr. Starr has
served as the City Librarian of San Francisco.
The National Museum and Library Services Board (NMLSB)
is a twenty-four member advisory body that includes the
director and deputy directors of IMLS, the chair of the
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science,
and twenty presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed
members of the general public who have demonstrated expertise
in, or commitment to, library or museum services. Informed
by its collective experience and knowledge, the NMLSB advises
the IMLS director on general policy and practices, and
on selections for the National Awards for Museum and Library
Services. For more information about the National Museum
and Library Services Board visit the Institute’s
Web site at: http://www.imls.gov/about/board.shtm.
|
