National Museum and Library Services Board Nominees Include Charles Benton

President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to serve as members of the National Museum and Library Services Board: Charles Benton, Christie Pearson Brandau, and Bert Castro.

1. Charles Benton is the Chairman and CEO of the Benton Foundation. He also currently serves on the boards of the Educational Development Center in Boston, and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, where he was named a Lifetime Trustee. In addition to his work on these boards, Mr. Benton previously was President or Chairman of the Encyclopaedia Britannica Education Corporation, Public Media, Inc., Films Inc., Home Vision Entertainment, and The Partnership for a Connected Illinois. In recognition of his work in the media and telecommunications fields, Mr. Benton has been appointed to serve as Chairman of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science, Chairman of the First White House Conference on Library and Information Services, and Member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Digital Television Broadcasters. Mr. Benton received a B.A. from Yale University.
2. Christie Pearson Brandau is a retired State Librarian and an adjunct professor for the School of Library and Information Management at Emporia State University. Ms. Brandau served as State Librarian of Kansas from 2005 to 2009 and as State Librarian of Michigan from 2000 to 2005. Prior to that, she worked at the State Library of Iowa, North Central Iowa Regional Library and in public libraries in Osage and Riceville, Iowa. Ms. Brandau’s library affiliations include membership in the American Library Association, Public Library Association, and Chief Officers of State Library Agencies. She served as President of the Iowa Library Association in 1991. In addition to library affiliations, Ms. Brandau was a member of the state Humanities Council in Kansas and Michigan and served as a United States Commissioner for UNESCO from 2005 until 2010. Ms. Brandau earned her B.A. from Iowa State University and M.A. in Library Science from the University of Iowa.
3. Bert Castro is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Arizona Zoological Society/Phoenix Zoo, a position he has held since February 2008. From 2001 to 2008, Mr. Castro was Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden. Mr. Castro began his career as the Children’s Zoo Keeper at the Tulsa Zoo in 1985, and since then has served as Assistant Curator at the Audubon Zoo, from 1993 to 1995, Curator of Birds and Mammals at Zoo Atlanta from 1995 to 1997, and Living Collections Manager/General Curator at the San Antonio Zoo from 1997 to 2001. Mr. Castro has been a Board Member of Zoo Conservation Outreach since 2003, and served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums from 2009 until 2011 and the Board of St. Gregory’s University from 2005 until 2008. Mr. Castro holds an Associate’s Degree in Natural Science from St. Gregory’s University, a B.S. in Zoology from Oklahoma State University, and an M.S. from Friends University.