Smithsonian Announces Endowment of the Smithsonian Science Education Center Director

The Smithsonian Science Education Center has announced today the endowment of the center’s director position through a gift from Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser. The director position will now be named “The Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center.”

The gift to endow the center’s director position allows it to reach more science teachers and students with the Smithsonian’s resources and programming. The naming pays homage to Lapp’s incredible achievements as the center’s founding director (1985–2001), as well as to the deep and meaningful relationships that Lapp and Keiser have fostered throughout various areas of the Institution over the years.

“Education has always been at the heart of the Smithsonian’s mission, and for almost 40 years, the Smithsonian Science Education Center has played a crucial role in bringing this vision to life,” said Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III. “This endowment highlights the center’s vital role in reaching students in classrooms and at home and will empower Dr. O’Donnell and her team to continue transforming K–12 education through science until every student has the tools and inspiration to build a better future for all.”

“Both Anne and Doug know what it means to devote your life’s work to the pursuit of great achievement,” said Carol O’Donnell, the Lapp-Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center. “With their impactful and generous gift, the Smithsonian Science Education Center will continue to meet students where they are—in classrooms across the globe—thereby guiding the next generation of budding scientists and engineers to save endangered species, challenge the frontiers of space, design a better tomorrow and reach their highest summit.”

Lapp and Keiser are spouses and longtime supporters of the Smithsonian. Keiser is a longtime freelance photographer and a former photographer and photo editor for National Geographic who has documented the humanitarian work of mountain climber Sir Edmund Hillary. She is a member and former president of the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.

Together, Lapp and Keiser serve as co-chairs of the Smithsonian Legacy Society and support efforts across several units of the Institution. Lapp was appointed the founding director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center in 1985 and worked in that capacity for 16 years. He now holds emeritus status on the center’s board.

“This is a special moment in our lives,” said Lapp and Keiser following the announcement of the endowment. “It brings us great joy to know that in years ahead, this amazing center will continue to thrive. Over the past decade, we have developed an intimate and caring working relationship with the center’s staff as we watched the center accomplish so much. And in particular, between ourselves and Dr. Carol O’Donnell lie enormous degrees of mutual admiration, trust and respect, as well as friendship.”

Lapp and Keiser’s gift to the Smithsonian Science Education Center is part of the Smithsonian Campaign for Our Shared Future, which will secure funds for all Smithsonian museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo in support of a single, bold vision: to build a better future for all. The campaign will provide a foundation for critical research to ensure people and nature thrive together, build unparalleled education programs with families and partners, document the present while reflecting on the past and reimagine the visitor experience both in person and online.

About the Smithsonian Science Education Center

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) is transforming K–12 education through science in collaboration with communities across the globe. The center is nationally and internationally recognized for the quality of its programs and its impact on K–12 science education. Visit the SSEC website and follow SSEC on LinkedIn, X and Facebook. 

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