SUBJECT: Nebraska State Historical Society names new director.
Michael J. Smith has been appointed Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nebraska State Historical Society by its Board of Trustees. Currently the President/CEO of the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mr. Smith has previously served as executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission, the Putnam Museum of History and Natural Science in Davenport, Iowa, and the Buffalo, New York, Museum of Science."In accepting the appointment as Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nebraska State Historical Society, I am delighted, honored and humbled," Smith said. "I look forward to working with people from all walks of life and all parts of the Cornhusker State in the important task of preserving and celebrating the stories of Nebraska. The Society's mission, 'to collect, preserve and open to all the histories we share,' is an invitation and a challenge. Working to accomplish that mission will be a privilege. I pledge my best efforts and look forward to getting started next month."
An Illinois native with master's degrees in management and in American history from Aquinas College and the University of Minnesota, Smith has been president of the American Association for State and Local History and deputy director of the Michigan Historical Museum.
The Nebraska State Historical Society Board of Trustees made the appointment after a national search. The Society is charged with preserving state history and includes Archeology, Conservation, Historic Preservation, Library/Archives, Museum, and Research and Publications divisions, and administers seven historic sites statewide. The state agency is governed by a board of fifteen; twelve trustees elected by the membership and three appointed by the governor. Michael Smith will succeed Lawrence Sommer, who retired in July, 2005. Smith's salary will be $100,000 and he will assume the position January 30, 2006.
For more information: lireland@nebraskahistory.org or Lynne Ireland, 402-471-4758