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Natural History Museum Names College Leader as New Chief

December 6, 2022

Subject

Sean M. Decatur; American Museum of Natural History;

Description

As the American Museum of Natural History prepares to open its new science center in February, the institution on Tuesday selected as its new president Sean M. Decatur, a biophysical chemist who currently serves as the president of Kenyon College.

“I have spent my career committed to access and opportunity for students and also to an understanding of science,” Decatur said in a telephone interview. “This feels like a natural evolution.”

Decatur, 54, who starts on April 3, succeeds Ellen V. Futter, who will step down in March after a 30-year tenure. Given that Futter was the first female president and that Decatur will be the first Black leader, Scott L. Bok, the chairman of the museum’s board, said this kind of progress was “overdue among large institutions like ours.”

“Look at the city that we live in,” Bok added. “We clearly would like the museum to speak to more people.”

Creator

By Robin Pogrebin

Source

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/06/arts/design/natural-history-museum-sean-decatur.html

Publisher

nytimes.com

File

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