On March 15, the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents announced that G. Wayne Clough, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, had been unanimously elected the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian. Clough, 66, became president of Georgia Tech in 1994 and transformed it into one of the top public universities in the country. During his tenure, Georgia Tech’s academic reach expanded across the world, with campuses in France, Ireland, Singapore and Shanghai. Annual research expenditures increased from $212 million to $425 million; enrollment increased from 13,000 to more than 18,000; and the university consistently ranked among the nation’s top 10 public research universities.

While improving Georgia Tech’s reputation for science, Clough also emphasized the importance of humanities education. He established two endowed chairs in poetry and strengthened the university’s commitment to public policy and service.

Clough currently serves on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and on the National Science Board, the governing body of the National Science Foundation. Both appointments required Senate confirmation. He is vice chair of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, a nonprofit focused on eliminating barriers that make the United States less competitive in the sciences, wireless communication and innovation.

Clough has spoken and written extensively about innovation, higher education policy, diversity, economic development and technology. He received nine national awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, most recently, the OPAL Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to education.

Clough also has served as provost and vice president of academic affairs at the University of Washington and dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Born in Douglas, Ga., Clough married his wife, Anne, during his junior year at Georgia Tech. They have two children: Mathew, a 1994 graduate of Virginia Tech, and Eliza, who attends college in Virginia. Clough succeeds Lawrence M. Small, who resigned as Smithsonian Secretary March 26, 2007.