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.

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Senior Executives

Patty Bartlett, Acting Assistant Secretary for Education and Access
Greg Bettwy, Acting Chief of Staff
Virginia B. Clark, Director, Advancement and Philanthropic Giving
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
Caroline Baumann, Director, Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Elizabeth Broun, Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery
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
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
Allen R. Kane, Director, National Postal Museum
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
Jeanny Kim, Acting Director, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center
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
Nell Payne, Director, Government Relations
William G. Tompkins, Director, National Collections Program
David Voyles, Director, Office of Planning, Management and Budget
Whitney Watriss, Acting 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