Museum Leader to Step Down
October 27, 2006 | Read Time: 1 minute
W. Richard West Jr., the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, announced on Thursday that he would step down from his post a year from now, The Washington Post reports.
Mr. West, a historian and lawyer who is a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, has spent nearly 17 years helping the Smithsonian plan the museum, which opened in 2004.
Mr. West said that, with a three-year strategic plan and staff reorganization completed, the time seems right for a transition.
“It is incumbent upon directors to know when change is appropriate,” said Mr. West, who is 63.
