France Córdova Elected Chair of Smithsonian Board of Regents

The Smithsonian Board of Regents today elected France A. Córdova as its chair, effective January 2012. She will succeed Patty Stonesifer, who has served as chair since January 2009 and will become vice chair. Córdova, an astrophysicist and president of Purdue University in Indiana, has been a member of the board since 2009. The chair serves a three-year term.

Currently, Córdova is chair of the Regents’ Strategic Planning and Programs Committee and a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee. As chair of the Board of Regents, Córdova heads the three-person executive committee that will include Stonesifer, who currently serves as senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chairs the White House Council for Community Solutions, and Shirley Ann Jackson, board member since 2005 and the chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee. Jackson is president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The chair serves as the overall leader of the Board of Regents and its executive committee. Among her duties, Córdova will represent the board in dealings with the Smithsonian Secretary and senior management and will work in partnership with the Secretary to carry out the policies of the Institution. Together with the chair of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee, she will lead the board in its annual evaluation of the Secretary’s performance and compensation. Córdova also will serve as the chief spokesperson for the board and will communicate with Congress and other Smithsonian stakeholders on behalf of the Regents.

“The Smithsonian Institution is known worldwide for its contributions to scientific research and for promoting arts, history and culture,” said Córdova. “It makes the American experience, the natural wonders of the planet and the universe, and the beauty and variety of human creativity accessible to everyone. I look forward to working closely with a distinguished administration and an experienced, energetic board; we will continue to move the Smithsonian forward.”

Before joining Purdue in 2007, Córdova was part of the University of California system, first as a professor of physics and vice chancellor for research at UC Santa Barbara and then as distinguished professor of physics and astronomy and chancellor at UC Riverside. From 1993 to 1996, Córdova was chief scientist at NASA and received NASA’s highest honor—the Distinguished Service Medal. She has published more than 150 scientific papers.

Córdova is a National Associate of the National Academies and is a presidential appointee to the National Science Board. She also is a board member of the Mayo Clinic, Edison International and Science Applications International Corp. 

About the Board

The legislation that created the Smithsonian Institution (approved by Congress Aug. 10, 1846) called for the creation of a Board of Regents to govern and administer the organization. This 17-member board, which meets four times a year, includes the chief justice of the United States and the vice president of the United States, both ex officio members of the board. The chief justice has traditionally been elected chancellor of the Institution by the board.

Other members of the Board of Regents are three members of the House of Representatives, appointed by the speaker of the House; three members of the Senate, appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; and nine citizen members, nominated by the board and approved by the Congress in a joint resolution signed by the president of the United States. Regents who are representatives and senators serve for the durations of their elected terms. Citizen Regents serve a maximum of two six-year terms.

The chief executive officer of the Smithsonian is the Secretary, who is appointed by the Board of Regents. There have been 12 secretaries since the Smithsonian was established.

About the Smithsonian

Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. All except two of the museums are located in Washington metropolitan area: Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and the George Gustav Heye Center of the National Museum of the American Indian are located in New York City. There are 6,000 Smithsonian employees, including approximately 500 scientists, and more than 6,500 volunteers. More than 30 million people visited the museums and the National Zoo in 2010.

The Smithsonian is about 70 percent federally funded. For the current fiscal year (FY 2011), the federal appropriation was $759.6 million. This year, the Institution raised $162 million in private funds to support exhibitions, educational programs and other activities at the Smithsonian. In addition to fundraising, the Smithsonian brings in revenue through its business operation, Smithsonian Enterprises, which is responsible for Smithsonian magazine, Smithsonian Channel, licensing programs and the retail services in the museums (cafes, museum shops and IMAX theaters).

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