Smithsonian Director to Take Over Wildlife Conservation Society

摘要

Cristian Samper, director ol the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is shifting gears in August to become the president anc CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a $200 million conserva- tion organization that runs the Bronx Zoo, other New York City zoos, and wildlife programs in 65 countries. Samper started his career in conservation and says he is eager to get back to that focus. The natural history museum director since 2003, Samper helped transform the museum, bringing in 25 new curators, starting an endowed fellowship program, and redoing two-thirds of the exhibits, including the mammals, ocean, and human origins halls. In 2007, he took over temporarily for Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lawrence Small, who resigned amidst controversy.