DEARBORN — President Barack Obama appointed Paula Gangopadhyay, chief learning officer at The Henry Ford, to the National Museum and Library Services Board Nov. 15.
The board is the advisory body for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Members of the board are selected to serve based on their expertise and commitment to libraries or museums.
Gangopadhyay was one of eight new board members sworn in by Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
In her role she is responsible for leadership and strategy regarding institutional education and learning initiatives.
Gangopadhyay has held a variety of positions in education and arts policy, including executive director of the Plymouth Community Arts Council from 2006 to 2008; curator of Education, Public Programs, Visitor Services and Volunteers at the Public Museum of Grand Rapids from 2002 to 2006; and executive director of the Great Lakes Center for Education, Research and Practice from 2000 to 2001.
She was executive director of the Commission for Lansing Schools Success from 1998 to 2000 and executive director of Meridian Historical Village from 1995 to 1998.
Gangopadhyay has served as a member of many state and national boards, including the Michigan Humanities Council. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indore University, her post-graduate certification in archival, museum, and editing studies from Duquesne University and an education policy fellowship from the Institute of Education Policy.