Smithsonian's Board of Regents Names Search Committee for New Secretary

The members of the search committee include the following:

• Alan G. Spoon (chair), Regent, managing-general partner of Polaris Venture Partners and former president of The Washington Post Company
• Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), Regent
• L. Hardwick "Hacker" Caldwell, chair of the Smithsonian's National Board and ex-officio of the Board of Regents, and president of TSWII Management Company
• Anne d'Harnoncourt, Regent, the George D. Widener director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Regent
• Walter E. Massey, physicist and president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Regent (2001-March 2007), reappointment pending
• Jeffrey Minear, administrative assistant to Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts Jr., chancellor of the Smithsonian
• Roger W. Sant, Regent, co-founder of AES Corp. and chairman emeritus of its board, and chairman of the board of The Summit Foundation in Washington, D.C.
• Irwin Shapiro, senior scientist and former director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

The search committee will be assisted by an executive search firm.

Currently, Cristián Samper (sahm-PAIR) is serving as Acting Secretary following the resignation of Lawrence M. Small March 24.

SI-19-2008