Smithsonian Faces Internal Reviews, Senate Hearing

The Smithsonian Institution and its new interim leader must now grapple with fundamental questions surrounding its governance, oversight, and management of its facilities, reports The New York Times.

Internally, the charity created a new permanent Committee on Governance to evaluate the organization and compare its work to best practices at like organizations. That committee, led by Patty Stonesifer, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is expected to issue preliminary recommendations in early May.

“What we’re trying to do is step back a bit,” Ms. Stonesifer tells the Times. “Are we doing things in the best possible way?”

The public response to the upheaval at the Smithsonian—after its top executive, Lawrence M. Small, resigned—has come with increased Congressional scrutiny, the Times reports. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee has scheduled an oversight hearing on the Smithsonian for April 11.

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