Senate Urges Smithsonian to Speed Up Appointments

A Senate panel is pushing leaders of the Smithsonian Institution, in Washington, to speed up its selection of a new chief executive to replace Lawrence M. Small, who resigned in March, reports The Washington Post.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others on the Senate Rules and Administration Committee questioned the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents yesterday on why it has given itself until September to design an executive-compensation package and criticized the board for not speeding up the process by which it chooses Mr. Small’s replacement and other top leaders.

The chairman of the regents’ executive committee, Roger W. Sant, argued that the best searches take close to a year and that choosing a new chief executive is “the most important job we have to do right now. We need to take the time to do it right.”

Mr. Small resigned after questions were raised about a $1.1-million housing allowance, $90,000 in unauthorized expenses, and other expenditures.

In his resignation letter, Mr. Small called the accusations against him “baseless” and said they could not change his record of accomplishments, including revitalizing the Smithsonian’s exhibits and facilities and introducing modern management systems.

Two recent reports detail numerous areas of concern related to the Smithsonian’s management practices, The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports.

(A paid subscription or temporary pass is required to view the Chronicle article.)