January 17, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Giuliana Bullard, 202-653-4799
gbullard@imls.gov

Seven Board Members Added to the National Museum and Library Services Board

Washington, DC – President Barack Obama has appointed a slate of seasoned museum and library professionals to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board.  They were sworn in today by IMLS Director Dr. Kathryn K. Matthew at the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  

The board is the advisory body for IMLS, and members are selected to serve based on their expertise and commitment to libraries or museums. The new members will replace Althemese Barnes, the late Charles Benton, Christie Pearson Brandau, Vishakha Desai, Paula Gangopadhyay, Eric Jolly, and Lawrence J. Pijeaux, Jr. 

“I am delighted to welcome the seven new members of the National Museum and Library Services Board,” said Dr. Matthew. “They have deep experience with individual museums and libraries and within the library and museum fields nationally, which will be of great benefit to the board. I look forward to working with them and receiving their valuable input.”

The new appointees are listed below with their biographical summaries.

Lynne M. Ireland is deputy director of the Nebraska State Historical Society.  Ireland has held various positions with the Historical Society since 1979, including chief education and information officer, associate director for museums and historic sites, coordinator of museum programs and public relations and folklife/special projects coordinator. From 1992 to 2004, she was an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Ireland is a past council member and past chair of the American Association for State and Local History and a member of the Nebraska Museums Association, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Mountain-Plains Museums Association. Ireland received a B.A. from Nebraska Wesleyan University and an M.A. from the State University College at Oneonta.

Sylvia Orozco is co-founder and executive director of the Mexic-Arte Museum of Austin, Texas, positions she has held since 1984.  Orozco served on the advisory board of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center from 2008 to 2012 and the mayor’s community cabinet in Austin from 2009 to 2011.  She was inducted into the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Ohtli Award from the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior from the general consulate of Mexico in Austin in 2007.  Orozco received a B.F.A. from The University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Mort Sajadian is founder, president, and chief executive officer of Amazement Square, The Rightmire Children’s Museum, positions he has held since 1997.  Dr. Sajadian was director and chief executive officer of Seattle Children’s Museum and director of the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri. He is a member of the board of directors of the Association of Children’s Museums.  Under Dr. Sajadian’s leadership, Amazement Square was a 2015 Recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service.  Dr. Sajadian received a B.A. from the University of New York, Albany, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Kenneth J. Schutz is the Dr. William Huizingh Executive Director of the Desert Botanical Garden, a position he has held since 2001. Schutz previously served as executive director of the Science Museum of Western Virginia and president of Bentley Consulting. He worked at the Baltimore Zoo from 1978 to 1988, where he served in various roles including director of marketing and director of development. Schutz serves on the board of the American Public Gardens Association and is an accreditation commissioner for the American Alliance of Museums.  He previously served on the board of the Center for Plant Conservation. Schutz received a B.S. from Bucknell University, an M.S. from Johns Hopkins University, and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Annette Evans Smith joined the Alaska Native Heritage Center in 2003 and has served as its president and CEO since 2011.  In 2012, Evans Smith worked on the legislation that established the Alaska Native Language Preservation and Advisory Council.  She previously worked with the Southcentral Foundation and The Northern Forum.  She is a member of the Foraker Group Operations Board, the Alaska Native Advisory Panel for the Alaska State Council on the Arts, and the University of Alaska Anchorage’s College of Business and Public Policy’s Alaska Native Organizational Management Advisory Committee.  Evans Smith is also chair of the governor-appointed Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council.  In 2009, Evans Smith was recognized by the governor of Alaska for Distinguished Service to the Humanities.  Evans Smith received a B.A. from Stanford University.

Deborah Taylor is coordinator of school and student services at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, where she has worked since 1974 in various roles including as a Branch Librarian and Head of the Office of Children and Youth. Taylor is a member of the Voice of Youth Advocates Editorial Advisory Board and served as president of the Young Adult Library Services Association and chair of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards.  She received the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement from the American Library Association in 2015.  Taylor received a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Prof. Jonathan L. Zittrain is a professor of computer science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the George Bemis Professor of International Law at Harvard Law School, positions he has held since 2010 and 2008, respectively. Prof. Zittrain is also vice dean for library and information resources at the Harvard Law School Library and co-founder and faculty director of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.  He was the distinguished scholar in residence at the Federal Communications Commission and chair of its Open Internet Advisory Committee. Prof. Zittrain is a member of the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the board of advisors for Scientific American. He has a B.S. from Yale University, an M.P.A. from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

About the National Museum and Library Services Board
The National Museum and Library Services Board is an advisory body that includes the director and deputy directors of Institute of Museum and Library Service and 20 presidentially appointed members of the general public who have demonstrated expertise in, or commitment to, library or museum services. Informed by its collectively vast experience and knowledge, the board advises the IMLS director on general policy and practices, and on selections for the National Medals for Museum and Library Service. See the IMLS website for more information about the National Museum and Library Services Board