Ellen Victoria Futter, born September 21, 1949, has been president of the New York Museum of Natural History since 1993, becoming the first woman to command a major New York museum.
The museum, which has more than 150 years of history, is one of the most prestigious in the world, with more than 1,000 employees and an annual budget of 178 million dollars. It has been the setting for multiple films, such as La Salvaje de mi Niña or Noche en el museo. The gigantic entrance hall is particularly noted for a large T-Rex skeleton, which welcomes visitors.
At 72, Futter has announced that he will retire in March 2023, following the opening of the Gilder Center, a new museum exhibition space. "It has been an incredible journey. I am proud and grateful for the time I have spent here," she explained to the New York Times. "The opening of the Gilder Center will be an excellent opportunity for someone to take over," she added.
A lawyer by profession, Futter began her studies at the University of Wisconsin but ended up transferring her file to Barnard College, a private women's college affiliated with Columbia University in Manhattan. She graduated cum laude in 1971, the same year she was appointed to the university's administration. Shortly thereafter, she was named president of the institution, which she directed for more than 13 years before taking command of the Natural History Museum.
Under Futter's leadership, the museum has developed several expansions, the most notorious of which has been the opening in 2000 of the Rose Center for Earth and Space, to which the Richard Gilder Center will now be added. For this project, Futter has faced multiple criticisms since part of the building was planned to be built in Theodore Roosevelt Park, owned by the city of New York. Futter decided to change the building plans to keep the park intact.
The museum's board of directors will immediately launch a search for a replacement. Scott Bok, one of the members of the administration has stated: “It is a great position to fill, there is a lot at stake, but Futter leaves us in an excellent position”.
