Dr. Mara Mayor was the director of Smithsonian Associates between 1994 and 2005 and the director of education at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo between 2006 and 2008. She was appointed head of Smithsonian Associates at a transitional time for the organization. Mayor managed the final stages of the integration between the National Associate Program and the Resident Associate Program. Under her leadership, Smithsonian Associates offered 1,800 programs, initiatives, and tours offered annually.
Prior to her roles at the Smithsonian, Mayor served as director of the Annenberg/Corporation for Public Broadcasting Project, an initiative to produce college-level educational programs for presentation by television, radio, and publications.
Mayor earned her bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University and her master’s and Ph.D. from Yale University in American studies.
Related Resources
- “Arts Beat” by Eric Brace, Washington Post, February 28, 1994
- “Mara Mayor” profile, The Creativity Foundation
- “Annenberg Project Gets College-Program Chief,” November 10, 1983, New York Times
Related Collections
- History of the Smithsonian Associates Oral History Interviews, 2013, Record Unit 9634, Smithsonian Institution Archives
- Smithsonian Associates. Office of the Director, Records, circa 1983-1997, Accession 98-036, Smithsonian Institution Archives
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