WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Supreme Court Justice David H. Souter will administer the oath of office today to ten members of the National Museum Service Board during a Capitol Hill ceremony in the Russell Senate Caucus Room. The board’s ten new members were nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the United States Senate in the 107th Congress.

The 15-member board advises the Institute of Museum and Library Services. They also make recommendations for the National Award for Museum Service, the nation’s highest honor for extraordinary public service provided by America’s museums.

The Institute, an independent federal agency, is a primary source of federal grants for the nation’s museums and libraries. The Institute’s grants and leadership help museums care for their collections, expand their public education programs, partner with other community organizations, and use new technologies.

Dr. Robert Martin, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who will host today’s ceremony, said, "The National Museum Services Board takes an active part in championing the role museums play in our society. Together, the board and the Institute have the responsibility to place a national spotlight on the outstanding work that America’s museums do, and on the enormous contributions they make serving our communities and sustaining our cultural heritage. We are indeed fortunate to have these leaders serve on the board."

Judy Rapanos, who will be among those sworn in today, and who will lead the board as its chairperson, said, "It is a great privilege for me, and my colleagues, to enter into public service on the National Museum Services Board. Museums play an important role in American society. They use collections and exhibitions to broaden our knowledge about our cultural, artistic and scientific heritage. They are incredible community resources of learning for school children, for families, for all lifelong learners."

Bios of the new members:

Judith Ann Rapanos (Midland, Michigan) - Chairperson

Judith Ann Rapanos is an active arts patron and community leader, and serves as Chairperson of the National Assembly of State Art Agencies, the umbrella organization for all state arts councils in the United States. She is the former Chair of the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and continues to serve on the Council and its Executive Committee. Ms. Rapanos also serves as Chair for the Midland Center for the Arts and is a Board Member of Artserve. Ms. Rapanos received an Associate Degree from Central Michigan University. (Term expires December 6, 2007)

David A. Donath (Woodstock, Vermont)

David A. Donath is President of the Woodstock Foundation, Inc., and Director of Billings Farm and Museum in Woodstock, Vermont. The Foundation is the primary operating partner of the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park. Mr. Donath formerly served as Director of the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and he previously directed historic sites and was preservation historian for the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Mr. Donath holds or has held leadership positions with the Association for Living History, Farm & Agricultural Museums; the American Association for State and Local History; the Forest History Society; the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation; the Vermont Historical Society; the Vermont State Advisory Council for Historic Preservation; and the Woodstock Historical Society. Mr. Donath has Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Education and History, respectively, from the University of Vermont, and he has completed course work toward a Ph.D. in American History at the University of Wisconsin. (Term Expires December 6, 2004)

Nancy S. Dwight (Lyme, New Hampshire)

Nancy S. Dwight is the Chairperson of Dwight Partners, Inc. She recently completed her term as Board Chair of the Montshire Museum of Science in Vermont. Ms. Dwight is a Director of Newspapers of New England, Inc., a publisher of daily and weekly newspapers serving Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. She was a Founding Trustee of the Crossroads Academy, and has served as a Board Member of the Friends of Hopkins Center and Hood Museum at Dartmouth College. Ms. Dwight received degrees from both Wheaton and Williams Colleges. (Term expires December 6, 2005)

A. Wilson Greene (Petersburg, Virginia)

A. Wilson Greene is the Executive Director of Pamplin Historical Park in Petersburg, Virginia, which he has led from its initial planning in 1992 through the present. Prior to working with the Pamplin Foundation, he served as President and CEO of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites, the predecessor of the Civil War Preservation Trust, for which he now serves on the National Advisory Board. Mr. Greene also served 16 years in the National Park Service at a variety of historic sites. Mr. Greene has been a member of the faculties of Mary Washington College, Germanna Community College, and St. Bernard Community College. He has authored more than 25 publications dealing with the Civil War and Southern History. Mr. Greene holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from Florida State University and Louisiana State University, respectively. (Term expires December 6, 2004)

Maria Mercedes Guillemard (Dorado, Puerto Rico)

Maria Mercedes Guillemard is an active arts patron. Ms. Guillemard is a Member of the Board of Directors and President of the Collection and Exhibitions Committee for the Puerto Rico Museum of Art in San Juan. Ms. Guillemard also is Regent of the Board of Trustees for Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas. Ms. Guillemard received her Bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College. (Term expires December 6, 2005)

Peter D. Hero (Palo Alto, California)

Peter D. Hero has served as President of the Community Foundation Silicon Valley in San Jose, California, since 1989. Prior to this position, Mr. Hero was President of the Maine College of Art, and he also has worked in areas of government and corporate marketing. Mr. Hero served a six-year term on the National Council on the Arts. Currently, Mr. Hero serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Broadcasting Service, the Foundation for a Civil Society, The National Philanthropic Trust, Stanford University’s Haas Center for Public Service, Poets and Writers, Inc., and the Entrepreneurs’ Foundation. Mr. Hero holds a Master of Art in Art History from Williams College, a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Maine College of Art. (Term expires December 6, 2005)

Thomas E. Lorentzen (Redding, California)

Thomas E. Lorentzen is Government Relations/Corporate Advisor to Turtle Bay Exploration Park, on the banks of the Sacramento River in California. He served in the Ronald Reagan and George H. Bush Administrations. Positions held include Special Assistant and Speechwriter to the Secretary of HHS, Consultant to the Under Secretary of Education, and Director of Private Sector Initiatives at the U.S. Small Business Administration. He has served as senior consultant to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and has published articles in the San Francisco Chronicle, Las Vegas Business Press, and Las Vegas Sun. Mr. Lorentzen received his Bachelor’s degree from California State University, Hayward, and his Master’s degree from the University of Nevada. (Term expires December 6, 2006)

Terry L. Maple (Atlanta, Georgia)

Dr. Terry L. Maple is the President/CEO of Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Maple also is a Professor of Psychology and a Professor of Behavior and Conservation at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Maple is the Founding Editor of the professional journal "Zoo Biology," and he is the author and editor of more than 120 scientific publications. Dr. Maple is an elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a former President of the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums. Dr. Maple received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Pacific, and he received a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Psychobiology from the University of California at Davis.

Margaret Webster Scarlett (Jackson, Wyoming)

Margaret (Maggie) Webster Scarlett is Vice President/Secretary and Director of United Bancorporation of Wyoming, Inc., and is currently serving her second term as President of the Board of Trustees of the National Museum of Wildlife Art, in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Whitney Gallery of Western Art of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Ms. Scarlett previously served as a Trustee of the University of Wyoming Art Museum. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Hearing and Speech Science from the University of Wyoming, and her Master of Science degree in Audiology/Speech Pathology from Colorado State University. (Term expires December 6, 2007)

Beth LaRoche Walkup (Tucson, Arizona)

Beth LaRoche Walkup is a business consultant in Tucson, Arizona with extensive nonprofit and business management experience. She previously served as Executive Director of the Tucson Children’s Museum and as Vice President of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in Alexandria, Virginia. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Educational Enrichment Foundation, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and Tucson’s Mayor’s Youth Advisory Board, and is on the Executive Committee for the Cultural Arts Alliance. Ms. Walkup received her Bachelor of Arts degree at Hastings College. (Term expires December 6, 2003).