Press Release

 

LAURIE SOWD NAMED HUNTINGTON'S VICE PRESIDENT FOR OPERATIONS

June 15, 2011

SAN MARINO, Calif.—Laurie Sowd has been named vice president for operations at The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. Sowd, a member of the Huntington’s senior staff, has been directing operations for 19 years; her promotion to vice president reflects her significant and growing portfolio of responsibilities, says Steven S. Koblik, Huntington president.

 

“She is among the most extraordinary of colleagues the president of any institution could ask for,” he said. “Her passion for The Huntington is renowned and her skill set absolutely remarkable. There is no challenge she doesn’t take on with sheer delight.”

Sowd is responsible for managing The Huntington’s facilities, all construction projects, security, emergency planning, and information systems. She is also in charge of the institution’s risk management program, heading up contract negotiations, overseeing property, liability and fine arts insurance, and related matters.

 

In addition, she oversees The Huntington’s Building and Grounds Committee, composed of Trustees and Overseers who guide decisions having to do with institutional planning for development, preservation, and conservation of the Huntington property.

 

Sowd currently heads The Huntington’s new Education and Visitor Center project, a $60 million complex of gardens and facilities that will replace the existing ticketing area. That project, being designed by Architectural Resources Group, the firm that led the historic renovation of the Huntington Art Gallery, is now undergoing environmental review by the City of San Marino. In tandem with the new complex, Sowd is overseeing the institution’s role in updating the San Marino ordinance that governs The Huntington’s operations.

 

“Laurie is ubiquitous,” said Stewart Smith, chair of The Huntington’s Board of Trustees. “Everywhere I turn, and in every project I work on, Laurie is there, and often leading the way. She has the remarkable capacity to lead calmly and bring people together around a common cause to get spectacular results. She is a quintessentially gifted project manager.”

 

“There is also the Laurie I know on a personal level,” said Koblik. “She is the essence of The Huntington’s remarkable culture—extraordinarily warm, giving, and affirming.”

 

Before coming to The Huntington in 1992, Sowd held positions in operations and special projects at the J. Paul Getty Museum. Before that, she worked at the de Young Museum in San Francisco and for the San Francisco Opera. She holds a Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music from Bowling Green State University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles.

 

She is on the board of directors for the Pasadena Conservatory of Music.    
    

 

CONTACTS:   Susan Turner-Lowe, sturner@huntington.org or 626-405-2147
                         Thea M. Page, tpage@huntington.org or 626-405-2260

 

[EDITOR’S NOTE: High-resolution digital images available on request for publicity use.]

About The Huntington
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is a collections-based research and educational institution serving scholars and the general public.

Visitor Information
The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Rd., San Marino, Calif., 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is open to the public Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 4:30 p.m.; and Saturday, Sunday, and Monday holidays from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day through Labor Day) are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed Tuesdays and major holidays. Admission on weekdays: $15 adults, $12 seniors (65+), $10 students (ages 12–18 or with full-time student I.D.), $6 youth (ages 5–11), free for children under 5. Group rate $11 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission on weekends and Monday holidays: $20 adults, $15 seniors, $10 students, $6 youth, free for children under 5. Group rate $14 per person for groups of 15 or more. Members are admitted free. Admission is free to all visitors on the first Thursday of each month with advance tickets. Information: 626-405-2100 or huntington.org.