Following a nationwide search, the Research & Innovation Office has announced the appointment of Dr. Nancy J. Stevens as Director of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History, effective Sept. 1, 2023.

Stevens joins CU Boulder from Ohio University, where she served as director of the OHIO Museum Complex since 2017. Stevens is also a distinguished professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Ohio University, where she has acted in a variety of capacities since 2001.  

Stevens will replace Dr. Jaelyn Eberle, who was named interim director of the Museum in July 2022. Eberle, who has been with the Museum for more than 20 years, will maintain her affiliations with the Museum and the Department of Geological Sciences, and will serve as an advisor to the Museum director for a year. Additionally, she will return to the classroom to teach Vertebrate Paleontology in the fall.

“Jaelyn’s extraordinary combination of experience, leadership and dedication have been central to maintaining the Museum’s research and public missions during this transitional time,” said Massimo Ruzzene, CU Boulder vice chancellor for research and innovation and dean of the institutes. 

Ruzzene also recognized the faculty, staff and students who have continued to contribute to the university’s research and public service missions throughout the transition.

The mission of the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History—one of CU Boulder's twelve research institutes—is to contribute to the knowledge of the natural world and human history through research, teaching and public education. The Museum and Field Studies Graduate Program offers students an opportunity to earn a Master of Science degree or a certificate of Museum Studies. The Museum’s exhibition galleries are open to the public, free of charge, seven days a week, and the Museum offers a variety of programs and events throughout the year. 

“I would also like to thank Tamara Sumner, director of the Institute of Cognitive Science (ICS), for serving as chair of the search committee, as well as the entire committee—Samantha Fladd, Karen Chin, Gerardo Gutierrez, James Hakala, Summer King and Stacey Dewitt Smith—for their hard work and dedication throughout the search process,” said Ruzzene.