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Leadership at the Smithsonian Institution
David J. Skorton
Dr. David J. Skorton is the 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian. He assumed his position July 1, 2015. As Secretary, Skorton oversees 19 museums and galleries, 20 libraries, the National Zoo and numerous research centers, including the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. He is responsible for an annual budget of $1.3 billion, 6,500 employees, and 6,300 volunteers. The Smithsonian's federal appropriation for fiscal year 2015 is $819.5 million, which accounts for 62 percent of the Institution's funding. The Smithsonian generates additional funding from private contributions and business revenues.
Skorton, a board-certified cardiologist, previously was the president of Cornell University, a position he held from July 2006. He was also a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City and in Cornell's Department of Biomedical Engineering at the College of Engineering. His research focus is congenital heart disease and cardiac imaging and image processing. Skorton is the first physician to lead the Smithsonian.
- More about David J. Skorton
- Smithsonian Organization Chart (PDF). Download Adobe Reader for PDF files at get.adobe.com/reader.
Board of Regents
The legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution (approved by Congress Aug. 10, 1846) called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization.
More about the Board of Regents...
Senior Executives
- Patty Bartlett, Acting Assistant Secretary for Education and Access
- Greg Bettwy, Chief of Staff
- Virginia B. Clark, Assistant Secretary for Advancement
- Cathy Helm, Inspector General
- Albert Horvath, Under Secretary for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer
- Richard Kurin, Acting Provost/Under Secretary for Museums and Research
- Judith E. Leonard, General Counsel
- Christopher Liedel, President, Smithsonian Enterprises
- Era L. Marshall, Director, Office of Equal Employment and Minority Affairs
- Scott Miller, Deputy Under Secretary for Collections and Interdisciplinary Support
- Porter N. Wilkinson, Chief of Staff to the Board of Regents
Museum and Research Center Directors
- Charles R. Alcock, Director, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
- Rachel Allen, Acting Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery
- Caroline Baumann, Director, Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Lonnie G. Bunch III, Director, National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Melissa Chiu, Director, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- Johnnetta B. Cole, Director, National Museum of African Art
- John R. Dailey, Director, National Air and Space Museum
- Marshall Emery, Acting Director, National Postal Museum
- Kevin Gover, Director, National Museum of the American Indian
- John Gray, Director, National Museum of American History, Behring Center
- Kate Haw, Director, Archives of American Art
- Anson "Tuck" Hines, Director, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
- Kirk Johnson, Director National Museum of Natural History
- Dennis Kelly, Director, National Zoological Park
- Robert J. Koestler, Director, Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute
- Matthew Larsen, Director, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
- Valerie J. Paul, Director, Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce
- Julian Raby, Director, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Kim Sajet, Director, National Portrait Gallery
- Myriam Springuel, Director, Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition Service
- Anne Van Camp, Director, Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Lori D. Yarrish, Acting Director, Anacostia Community Museum
Senior Administration and Program Directors
- Fredie Adelman, Director, The Smithsonian Associates
- Susan Ades, Director, Smithsonian Exhibits
- Michael Atwood Mason, Director, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- Nancy Bechtol, Director, Smithsonian Facilities
- Deron Burba, Chief Information Officer
- Michael Caruso, Editor-in-Chief, Smithsonian magazine
- Amy Chen, Chief Investment Officer, Office of Investments
- Harold A. Closter, Director, Smithsonian Affiliations
- Pierre Comizzoli, Director, Consortia for Science
- Eduardo Díaz, Smithsonian Latino Center
- Michelle Anne Delaney, Director, Consortia for Humanities
- James Douglas, Director, Office of Human Resources
- Molly Fannon, Director, Office of International Relations
- Tracey Fraser, Director, Office of Sponsored Projects
- Jean Garvin, Director of Finance and Accounting
- Nancy E. Gwinn, Director, Smithsonian Institution Libraries
- Chandra P. Heilman, Ombudsman
- Karen Keller, Director, Office of Special Events and Protocol
- John K. Lapiana, Deputy Under Secretary for Finance and Administration and Acting Director of the Office of Communications and External Affairs
- Dorothy A. Leffler, Director, Office of Contracting & Personal Property Management
- Stephanie L. Norby, Director, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access
- Carol O'Donnell, Director, Smithsonian Science Education Center
- Jeanne O'Toole, Director, Office of Protection Services
- Maura Reidy, Acting Director, Government Relations
- Lisa Sasaki, Director, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
- William G. Tompkins, Director, National Collections Program
- David Voyles, Director, Office of Planning, Management and Budget
- Whitney Watriss, Director, Office of Policy and Analysis
- Sherri Wheeler, Director, Office of Visitor Services
- Eric Woodard, Director, Office of Fellowships and Internships
- Elizabeth Ziebarth, Coordinator, Accessibility Program
