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Smithsonian Names Director of Education (67 hits)

By KATE TAYLOR
The Smithsonian Institution has named Claudine Brown as its first director of education. Ms. Brown, 60, who since 1995 has been the director of the arts and culture program at the Nathan Cummings Foundation, will oversee the National Science Resources Center and the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, and coordinate the efforts of the education offices in all of the Smithsonian’s museums and science centers.

Before going to the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Ms. Brown worked for the Smithsonian developing the plans for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is now scheduled to open in 2015.

In an interview, Ms. Brown said that she was interested in exploring how to use new technology, including video games and apps for hand-held devices, to engage young people. “We want to be pretty aggressive about reaching young people where they are,” she said. “In the K-through-12 audience, a lot of learning is being done online, outside of the school environment.”