David Skorton assumed the role of 13th Secretary of the Smithsonian on July 1, 2015. A board-certified cardiologist who previously served as president of Cornell University, Skorton comes in to the Institution at a time of transition and renovation, with new museums like the National Museum of African American History and Culture slated to open soon and major overhauls on old favorites like the Castle and the National Air and Space Museum waiting on the near horizon. The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, “founded,” Skorton said, “on the principle that education empowers a person, and therefore, a nation.” In a lunchtime roundtable with Walter Isaacson, Skorton will lay out his vision for the future of that principle at the Smithsonian in the 21st century.
The Washington Ideas Roundtable Series is made possible with the generous support of Michelle Smith and the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.
