The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library has named its fourth director in its nine-year history. R. Duke Blackwood, a fundraiser for the University of Southern California, will assume the position June 19.
A former political consultant specializing in fundraising and public relations, Blackwood has promised to raise the library’s profile and increase its ties to the academic community, Chief Archivist John Carlin told the May 16 Los Angeles Times. “His background in forging relationships with constituencies and in program development and his strong ties to academia will be an asset to the Reagan library as it nears its 10th anniversary.”
Blackwood, 41, replaces Mark Hunt, who became director of the Roosevelt Presidential Library in Hyde Park, New York, in April.
Posted May 22, 2000.