About Us

Since 1853, the California Academy of Sciences has been dedicated to exploring, explaining, and protecting the natural world. Under one roof, the Academy houses the Steinhart Aquarium, Morrison Planetarium, and Kimball Natural History Museum. Construction began in 2005 on the largest cultural renovation project in San Francisco's history. It will reopen on September 27, 2008 in Golden Gate Park.

Our Mission

The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to explore, explain and protect the natural world.

Our Values and Ethics

All those involved with the Academy share a commitment to high standards both within the organization and in dealing with others.

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Education and Research

The Academy is an international center for scientific education and research and is at the forefront of efforts to understand and protect the diversity of Earth’s living things. The Academy has a staff of over 50 professional educators and Ph.D.-level scientists, supported by more than 100 Research and Field Associates and over 300 Fellows. It hosts 11 fields of research, including anthropology, aquatic biology, botany, comparative genomics, entomology, geology, herpetology, ichthyology, invertebrate zoology,mammalogy and ornithology. The Academy’s research collections, which are among the world’s largest, include more than 20 million specimens—essential tools for comparative studies on the history and future of the natural world.

Management Team

Gregory C. Farrington, Ph.D., Executive Director
Christopher R. Andrews, Ph.D., Chief of Public Programs and Director of Steinhart Aquarium
Alison Brown, Chief Finance and Operations Officer
Michelle McClellan, Chief Development Officer
Blair Shane, Chief Marketing Officer
Don Skeoch, Chief Revenue Officer

Board of Trustees

James N. Alexander
John C. Atwater
Laurence M. Baer
W. Richard Bingham
Richard C. Blum
Shawn Byers
Peter Y. Chung
Richard P. Emerson
John H.N. Fisher
Randi Fisher
Peter Folger
Mark Gaumond
Edward A. Gilhuly
Rosemary Gillespie, Ph.D.
John Hafernik, Ph.D.
Harry Hagey
William R. Hearst III
Susan Desmond-Hellmann, M.D.
Glenn W. Holsclaw
David A. Hoyt
Nelson Ishiyama
Ann L. Johnson, M.D.
Thomas B. Klein
Martha Kropf
John W. Larson
Laura Lazarus
Sharon Long, Ph.D.
Janet McKinley

Hamid R. Moghadam
George G. Montgomery, Jr.
Craig C. Moritz, Ph.D.
David Morrison, Ph.D.
William T. Morrow
Michael J. Murray
Susan Oberndorf
Arthur Patterson
William J. Patterson, Chair
Carrie W. Penner
Carmen A. Policy
William S. Price, III
Fidela Z. Schneider
Judy Siebel
Jill C. Tarter, Ph.D.
Thomas W. Tusher
Robert D. Valdez
Geerat J. Vermeij, Ph.D.
Ward B. Watt, Ph.D., President
William Wilson III
Adrienne L. Zihlman, Ph.D.
Mary Zlot