Audubon VP Although the search for a new Bishop Museum president began in January, William Brown did not find out the job was open until he ran into outgoing President Donald Duckworth in June, at the wedding of a mutual friend.
named Bishop
Museum head
William Brown says he'll focus
on general education and
serving the communityBy B.J. Reyes
breyes@starbulletin.com"Don mentioned that he was retiring," Brown said. "I reacted and said, 'Oh, that would be an interesting job for someone.' He figured out I was interested, and I said I was.
"I came over and spent time with (the search committee), and we really clicked."
Thus, only two months after adding his name to the field of 178 candidates, Brown, vice president for science policy at the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C., is being named president of the Bishop Museum.
A formal announcement on Brown's hiring was scheduled today.
In an interview with the Star-Bulletin yesterday, Brown said he has not yet come up with specific goals he hopes to accomplish, but he has identified areas he would like to focus on once he takes office Oct. 1.
"If I were to think about three priorities, they would be general education for all the people of Hawaii and expansion of the museum, a renewed effort to really do the best that I can -- given who I am -- to understand ways to serve the native Hawaiian community, and to help keep these scientists hopping and on the cutting edge of excellence as best I can," Brown said.
Brown said he especially hopes to expand the museum's relationships with educational facilities in Hawaii.
He says he hopes to strike a good balance between programs and exhibitions that serve educational purposes and programs that emphasize research.
"It is my view that both of these are important and can be expanded -- that they are not in competition for resources," he said.
"I think he's really well rounded, and he brings a lot of different and varied experiences," said Mark Polivka, chairman of the museum's board of trustees.
"I really felt he had all the qualifications that we were looking for in somebody to lead this institution forward."
Duckworth stepped down June 30 after announcing his retirement in November.
Brown, who also is director of the Audubon Society's Living Ocean Program, served as science adviser to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt during the second term of the Clinton administration.
In addition to serving in leadership roles for the Environmental Defense Fund and the World Wildlife Fund, Brown, 53, has also been a trustee of several nonprofit boards, including the Ocean Conservancy, where he was former chairman, and the Environmental Law Institute.
A 1977 graduate of Harvard Law School, Brown earned a doctorate in zoology from the University of Hawaii in 1973.
"William Brown comes with some very impressive credentials and recommendations," Gov. Ben Cayetano said. "Having earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hawaii, he knows Hawaii well. We all look forward to working with him."
Isabella Abbott, a professor emeritus of botany at UH who was on the seven-member presidential selection committee, said she was impressed with Brown's credentials.
"Working with the World Wildlife Fund and the Environmental Defense Fund and the Audubon Society and being the advisor to Babbitt -- these are experiences and skills that ordinary people who are in academia ... or the average museum director does not have," said Abbott, a former member of the museum's board of trustees.
Brown said he already has spoken with educators at some of the state's private schools, and he hopes to have further discussions with state schools and the universities.
Iolani School Headmaster Val Iwashita said he has spoken with Brown and likes the incoming president's ideas.
"I'm particularly interested in him wanting to make the museum more accessible to high school kids and kids in general," Iwashita said. "We've agreed to pursue that in conversation and hopefully in programming.
"I think the Bishop Museum is a tremendous resource that in many respects is underused by our community," Iwashita added.
"I hope Dr. Brown can bring a spirit and energy to the museum to make it a lot more accessible."
William Yancey Brown
Age: 53Born: Artesia, Calif.
Education: Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School, 1977; Ph.D. in zoology, University of Hawaii, 1973; Master of Arts in teaching, Johns Hopkins University, 1970; Bachelor of Arts in biology with highest distinction, University of Virginia, 1969
Current job: Vice president for science and director of Living Ocean Program for the National Audubon Society in Washington, D.C., since January
Other experience: Science advisor to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt (1997-2001); senior fellow, World Wildlife Foundation (1996-97); principal with Hagler Bailly Consulting Inc. of Arlington, Va. (1994-96); senior scientist and attorney, Environmental Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. (1981-85); executive secretary, U.S. Endangered Species Scientific Authority, Washington, D.C. (1977-80); assistant professor of biological sciences, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Mass. (1973-74)
Family: Wife, Mary, and two daughters, Julie and Emma
Source: Becker Communications Inc.