Biography
Elizabeth C. Babcock, PhD is the Director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. A cultural anthropologist and educator with experience in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Babcock has deep expertise in public engagement and education strategies, public-private partnerships, and organizational development. As founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum, Babcock will guide the new museum through a transformative period. Established by Congress in December 2020, the museum advances the understanding of women’s contributions and accomplishments throughout U.S. history. Babcock will set the vision for the museum and oversee the acquisition of a founding collection, curation of permanent and temporary exhibitions, and expansion of digital education resources beginning before the museum’s construction.
Prior to this appointment, Elizabeth served as the President & CEO of Forever Balboa Park, the City of San Diego’s nonprofit partner in improving and advancing Balboa Park. Babcock worked alongside the City of San Diego and partner organizations to raise the park’s national profile, provide exceptional experiences for the park’s millions of visitors, and raise private dollars to undertake significant capital improvements.
Before joining Forever Balboa Park, Dr. Babcock served as the Chief Public Engagement Officer and the Roberts-Wilson Dean of Education at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Previously, she served as the Vice President of Education and Library Collections for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
Babcock has received several awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2020, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring for the California Academy of Science’s Careers in Science internship program, 2022. Elizabeth was recognized in 2013 as a White House Champion of Change by the Obama Administration and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and in 2011, she was named as one of the Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times.
Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Indiana University, where she studied international migration and Belizean voluntary associations. She also holds a Certificate in E-learning Design and Development from San Francisco State University, and a B.A. in Psychology and a B.M. in Music Education from Northwestern University. Elizabeth is an alumna of the first class of Jane Addams Fellows at the Center on Philanthropy, now the IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.