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Anne-Imelda Radice, Ph.D

Photo: Dennis Brack Click to enlarge

On December 13, 2005, the President of the United States appointed Anne-Imelda M. Radice, Ph.D., a distinguished art and architecture historian, museum professional, and administrator, to be Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The U.S. Senate confirmed Radice’s nomination on March 13, 2006. IMLS, an independent United States government agency, is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. Her term extends to March 13, 2010.

During her tenure, Radice created and is providing leadership for Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action (see www.imls.gov/collections), a national conservation initiative designed to raise public awareness, inspire action, and encourage private sector support. The initiative includes a National Conservation Summit, four forums on conservation taking place across the country, the distribution of 3,000 Conservation Bookshelves, and collaborative planning grants that will advance every state’s collective conservation goals. The initiative also includes the development of a resource-laden Web site and a conservation video that collecting institutions can use to raise awareness and funds.

Radice’s enduring commitment to conservation and preservation was recognized in April 2008 when she was honored with the Forbes Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the Field of Conservation from the American Institute for the Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and received a resolution of appreciation from the American Association of Museums (AAM). In December 2008, President George W. Bush awarded Radice the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest honor that can be conferred on a citizen, in recognition of her exemplary service to the nation.

As a member of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Radice has had the opportunity to help shape international cultural policy. Under her direction, IMLS began the International Strategic Partnerships initiative to establish international strategic partnerships and make connections around the globe. In May 2008, she served on the faculty of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Austria, sharing her expertise on international exchanges of knowledge and objects, and recommending ways to overcome circulation obstacles.

Under Radice's direction, the agency has established the Office of Policy, Research and Communications to analyze trends, promote best practices, and evaluate programs. In December 2007, the agency published a study on effective youth programming in libraries and museums followed by guides for practitioners and policy makers on the best uses of this data. She also launched the first study of public funding for the nation's museums, which was released in 2008. In 2007, the agency made its inaugural release of nationwide statistics on state and public libraries.

In honor of the agency's tenth anniversary, Former First Lady Laura Bush awarded the inaugural National Medals for Library and Museum Service to ten outstanding institutions at a White House ceremony in January 2007. Radice recommended elevating this honor from an award to a medal and increased the number of recipients from six to ten.

In 2007, Radice established The IMLS Leadership Lecture, a national policy event established to inform policy, inspire new leaders and new leadership ideas, and spur innovation and action.

Prior to joining the IMLS, Radice was the Acting Assistant Chairman for Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities. She assisted the Chairman in the overall program administration of this federal agency dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities.

Before joining the National Endowment for the Humanities, Radice was Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the United States Department of Education from 2003 to 2005. She was a member of the Secretary’s executive team and worked closely with the Secretary to fulfill the department's mission to promote excellence in American education.

From 2001 to 2003, Dr. Radice served as Executive Director of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation in New York City. Begun more than 35 years ago by Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the foundation promotes religious freedom, tolerance, and human rights throughout the world.

From 1998 to 2001, Dr. Radice was Executive Director of the Friends of Dresden, Inc., an organization devoted to the reconstruction, restoration, and preservation of Dresden’s artistic and architectural legacy. Her fund-raising responsibilities included Friends of Dresden’s two largest campaigns: restoration of the Dresden Synagogue set ablaze during Kristallnacht in1938 and reconstruction of the Frauenkirche (Our Lady of Sorrows Cathedral), which dominated the city’s skyline from 1794 until 1945.

From 1993 to 1995, Radice consulted for New River Media, World Affairs Television Production in Montreal and Washington, DC, and Grey and Company II.

Appointed by President George H.W. Bush in May 1992 to serve as the Acting Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Dr. Radice oversaw the development, congressional approval, and management of a $175 million budget and 273 employees. Prior to her appointment, Radice was Senior Deputy Chairman, the number two spot at the agency, where she developed substantial private funding opportunities and partnerships for a variety of projects.

From 1989 to 1991, Dr. Radice was Chief of the Creative Arts Division of the United States Information Agency (USIA) where she supervised the presidentially-appointed Cultural Property Advisory Committee. The committee, formed in response to the 1970 UNESCO Convention, promotes long-term measures to safeguard cultural heritage artifacts. She also managed the USIA’s international planning of fine arts, museum technology, art conservation, and cultural tourism.

As the first Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (1983-1989), the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to displaying works by women artists of all periods and nationalities, Radice participated in the renovation of a 78,810-square-foot historic Washington landmark. Redesigned with the highest museum and security standards, the former Masonic Temple near the White House reopened as the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) in 1987 and has won numerous architectural awards. By the end of her directorship, the NMWA’s annual budget had grown to $4 million and its membership had reached 100,000.

From 1976 to 1985, Radice worked in the Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol, first as Architectural Historian (1976 to 1981), then as Curator. While there, Radice developed an information and conservation system for the 55,000 historic drawings in the collection. She initiated art restoration and conservation programs for the U.S. Capitol and other buildings under its jurisdiction. She also supervised the Research, Archives, Records Management, and Architectural History Divisions.

Radice began her career in arts administration in 1971 at the National Gallery of Art as Assistant Curator and Staff Lecturer. Until 1976, Radice wrote educational materials for such blockbuster exhibitions as King Tutenkamen and Treasures from China. She also initiated the first-ever foreign language lecture and tour service and was cited by the Wall Street Journal for introducing the National Gallery to a wider audience.
Radice has authored numerous publications on art and architecture including The Original Library of Congress: the history (1800-1814) of the Library of Congress in the United States Capitol (1981), a seminal architectural study of the West Front of the U.S. Capitol that resolved a controversy during the restoration of the façade and led to its successful completion.

Radice has a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1976), an MBA from American University (1985), and a BA in Art History from Wheaton College, Norton, MA (1969). Radice also has an MA from the Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy (1971), and did graduate coursework in northern Italian architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Radice succeeded Dr. Robert S. Martin, a library professional, as Director of the Institute and will serve for a four-year term ending in 2010. Deputy Director for Libraries Mary L. Chute served as Acting Director since the end of Dr. Martin’s term in July 2005. The IMLS directorship alternates between individuals from the museum and library communities.