Elizabeth C. Babcock is a distinguished museum executive and cultural anthropologist serving as president and chief executive officer of the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. She assumed this leadership role in October 2025 following a global search and unanimous approval by the Adler’s Board of Trustees.
Babcock brings more than two decades of strategic leadership in major cultural and educational institutions. Most recently, she was the founding director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C., where she led the development of vision, campaigns, and national partnerships for the landmark national museum. Prior to that, she served as president and CEO of Forever Balboa, stewarding San Diego’s 1,200-acre urban park and advancing multimillion-dollar campaigns to enhance community access and preservation.
