Elizabeth C. Babcock Named Founding Director of Smithsonian’s Women’s History Museum

The Smithsonian has announced Elizabeth C. Babcock as founding director of itsforthcomingAmerican Women’s History Museum in Washington, DC, effective this June. Babcock, a veteran administrator as well as an anthropologist and museum educator, arrives to the role from San Diego nonprofit Forever Balboa Park, of which she is president and chief executive. Her appointment comes roughly eight months after Nancy Yao, the Smithsonian’s first choice for the job,withdrewfollowing the April 2023revelationin theWashington Postthat she had settled a trio of wrongful termination lawsuits while she was president of New York’s Museum of Chinese in America.

“Having served as a founding director, I know how this position requires clear vision, leadership and endless enthusiasm to bring history to life,” said Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian, in a statement. “Dr. Babcock has all three and so much more. She will use her museum and management expertise to unlock American women’s stories for our nation in ways that we can learn from the past to be inspired for the future. I am excited for both Dr. Babcock and the Smithsonian.”

Before landing at Forever Balboa Park, where she oversaw major capital improvement projects and inked the organization’s first operating agreement with the city of San Diego, Babcock for twelve years served as chief public engagement officer and dean of education at the California Academy of Sciences. Earlier roles include those of vice president of education and library collections at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, in which capacity she served from 2002 to 2010; and applied anthropologist, working across museum, environmental, and technological fields. Babcock holds a BM in music education and a BA in psychology from Northwestern University and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from Indiana University.

“I’ve been especially fortunate to dedicate my career to inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds to explore and learn more about our world,” Babcock said in a statement. “Cultural institutions play a critical role in discovering and sharing powerful stories about the human experience that can change our lives. I am thrilled to lead a museum that tells the spectacular stories of our nation’s women. I look forward to engaging with communities across our great country to identify and celebrate the diverse contributions women and girls have made and continue to make in the fabric of American society. It’s going to be an incredible journey.”