The Secretary of the Smithsonian, appointed by the Board of Regents, is the Institution's chief executive officer. Secretaries have included Joseph Henry, 1846-1878; Spencer F. Baird, 1878-1887; Samuel P. Langley, 1887-1906; Charles D. Walcott, 1907-1927; Charles G. Abbot, 1928-1944; Alexander Wetmore, 1944-1952; Leonard Carmichael, 1953-1964; S. Dillon Ripley, 1964-1984; Robert McCormick Adams, 1984-1994; Ira Michael Heyman, 1994-2000; Lawrence M. Small, 2000-2007; Cristián Samper, Acting Secretary, 2007-2008; and G. Wayne Clough, 2008-present.

Revised: October 22, 2009