Secretary Clough’s first town hall meeting

On July 22, to a standing-  
room only crowd of 
SI staff packed into
the Baird auditorium
at Natural History,
Secretary Clough held his   
first town hall meeting,
and outlined his immediate
priorities in short order. 
With only three weeks on
the job, Secretary Clough
had been busy visiting as many units and offices as possible, and repeatedly referred to the Smithsonian as a “potent resource for the nation.”  His repeated call for creativity, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and reaching as many people, globally, as possible through our work, were all encouraging signposts for the future.

Governance reform was at the top of the list of his priorities, and the implementation of new policy statements regarding ethics and governance at the Smithsonian is paramount.  Taking care of the Arts and Industries Building “sooner than later” was also raised as a priority, much to the staff’s relief.

The Smithsonian will also rewrite its strategic plan, targeted for completion in a year, which includes building a vibrant, inspiring vision for our future.  He stressed the need for a comprehensive, creative, inclusive process that will produce this strategic plan.  As always, we want to hear from Affiliates – what would you like to see from the Smithsonian going forward?  How could we serve you and your constituencies better?!