Brief bio of Wayne Clough available here

Wayne Clough is the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum and research complex with activities in more than 100 countries. The Smithsonian includes 19 museums and galleries, 20 libraries, the National Zoo and nine research centers, including the Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

Since becoming Secretary in July 2008, Clough (pronounced "cluff") has taken the Smithsonian in new directions. A comprehensive strategic plan—the first of its kind for the Smithsonian—creates a new framework for goals, enterprises and operations. Going forward, the Institution will focus on four grand challenges—Unlocking the Mysteries of the Universe, Understanding and Sustaining a Biodiverse Planet, Valuing World Cultures and Understanding the American Experience.

Building on the Smithsonian’s core strengths, the strategic plan calls for a renewed commitment to education and to expanding access to the Institution’s vast expertise and collections. In the process, the Smithsonian will become a leader in the use of new digital communications and imaging technology. A reorganization is under way to enable the Smithsonian to meet the challenges of a changing world. To secure the necessary resources for this revitalization, a national campaign, also the first of its kind at the Smithsonian, is being mobilized. All of these reforms, taken together, translate to a renewed Institution.

Clough is responsible for an annual budget of $1 billion, 6,000 employees and 6,500 volunteers. As a federal trust, the Smithsonian receives about 70 percent of its funding from the federal government and generates additional funding from private contributions and business revenues. Since his arrival, the Smithsonian has raised more than $400 million in philanthropic gifts.

The Smithsonian, which has always had education at the core of its mission, is committed to engaging learners of all ages while finding new ways to reach underserved students in school districts around the country. Hundreds of Web-based lesson plans in science, history, culture and the arts are already available from the Smithsonian, and new opportunities will be made for the public to learn through Smithsonian webinars, games and active-learning projects. More than 500 social media sites have been created, allowing people opportunities to interact with Smithsonian experts.

Clough is overseeing a $900 million building and renovation program. Major elements include the reopening of the National Museum of American History on the National Mall, the renovation of the Arts and Industries Building on the Mall, expansion of the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center and the Mathias Science Laboratory at SERC in Edgewater, Md. Design and planning are complete for the new $500 million National Museum of African American History and Culture on the Mall scheduled to open in 2015.

He has emphasized the development of collaborations with diverse institutions. Examples include the Global Tiger Initiative with the World Bank, the Haiti Cultural Recovery Project with the State Department and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities and joint research projects with universities. The Haiti Cultural Recovery Project has stabilized or restored about 21,000 works of art, murals and historical objects damaged in the January 2010 earthquake. The goal of the arts recovery project is to train Haitians to take over the conservation work.

Since Clough became Secretary, more than 300 exhibitions have opened across the Smithsonian. He has overseen the opening of major permanent exhibitions, including the Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History, the Hall of Human Origins at the National Museum of Natural History, the new elephant habitat and trail at the National Zoo and the new wing at the Udvar-Hazy Center.

In June 2011, Clough was featured in an answer in the category “People Who Matter” on the television quiz show, Jeopardy.

Background

Before his appointment to the Smithsonian, Clough was president of the Georgia Institute of Technology for 14 years. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Georgia Tech in 1964 and 1965 and a doctorate in 1969 in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He has received eight honorary doctorates from universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Clough was a member of the faculty at Duke University, Stanford University and Virginia Tech. He served as head of the department of civil engineering and dean of the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech and as provost at the University of Washington.

During his tenure at Georgia Tech, the school was ranked among the top 10 public universities by U.S. News and World Report. In 2012, Georgia Tech is scheduled to open the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons building to honor his commitment to undergraduate students.

Awards and Service

Clough’s recognitions include the 2011 Foreign Policy Association Medal, membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010 (he currently serves on its Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences), induction into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia (2009) and the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award (2009) that recognizes a lifetime of leadership, achievement and service to Georgia Tech. Elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 1990, he was recognized with the 2008 NAE Bueche Award for his efforts in public policy.

Clough has received nine national awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers, including the 2004 OPAL lifetime award for contributions to education and the 2010 Presidents’ Award. He has served as chair of the National Research Council Committee on New Orleans Regional Hurricane Protection Reconstruction, a six-year term as member of the National Science Board and seven years as a member of President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Clough’s interests include science, technology and higher-education policy, sustainability, international programs, museums and history. His civil engineering specialty is in geotechnical and earthquake engineering. He has published more than 130 papers and reports; his most recent publication is “Increasing Scientific Literacy: A Shared Responsibility” (2011), a monograph on the nation’s urgent need to improve the scientific literacy of its citizens and the key role the Smithsonian Institution can play toward that goal.

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SI-20-2012