Freedom Center Elects Donald Murphy, Former National Park Service Executive, As Ne...

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Home / About / Press Room / 2007 / Freedom Center Elects Donald Murphy, Former
National Park Service Executive, As New CEO
Freedom Center Elects Donald Murphy, Former National Park
Service Executive, As New CEO
Click here to view an interview with Don Murphy

Cincinnati, Ohio, February 23, 2007 --- The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
announced today that it has selected Donald Murphy, the former Deputy Director of the National Park
Service, to be CEO, effective May 1.

Murphy will succeed John Pepper, who has served as the Freedom Center's CEO since January 2006.
Pepper will remain with the downtown museum and cultural center as Co-Chair of the Board, and will
also continue to play a leadership role in the Freedom Center's development activities. The Freedom
Center's President, Dr. Spencer Crew, will work with Murphy on programs, exhibitions and
educational initiatives.

As Deputy Director of the National Park Service (NPS) from 2001 to 2006, Murphy provided strategic
planning and leadership for the NPS' $2.3 billion annual budget and its staff of 23,000. The NPS, part
of the U.S. Department of Interior, manages 390 natural and historic park sites and some 84 million
acres of wildlife and habitats. Among his duties at NPS, Murphy was responsible for visitor and
resource protection, IT systems, facility construction and maintenance, international affairs, outreach
partnerships, educational programs, volunteer recruitment and staff training.

Murphy's earlier career was largely spent in his native California. From 1991 through 1997, he was
Director of the California State Parks – the largest in the world – with some 268 park facilities and 1.3
million acres of park land.

Throughout his professional career, Murphy has had extensive management experience with museums
and cultural and historic sites. As part of his duties at the National Park Service, Murphy helped direct
the department's "Network to Freedom" program that provides strategic assistance to more than 200
documented Underground Railroad sites nationwide. He also was responsible for security at heavily
visited national historic sites, including the Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore and Independence Hall.
During his tenure at California State Parks, Murphy managed the world-renowned California State
Railroad Museum, the Hearst Castle State Historic Monument, and several other state museums.

Pepper said Murphy's extensive leadership experience in managing the United States' national heritage
sites, as well as his understanding and commitment to the Freedom Center's Mission and his vision for
its future, made him the clear choice to be CEO.

"Don Murphy is an individual who exemplifies focused, inspiring leadership," Pepper said. "Within a
short time of meeting him, you know you are in the company of a big picture thinker who understands
how to deliver organizational excellence. Together with Spencer, Don will offer fresh thinking and
tremendous vision as the Freedom Center expands its national presence and programmatic reach."

Added Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr., Co-Chair of the Freedom Center Board: "We recognized that finding a
person to replace John Pepper was going to be a nearly impossible task. But we found our man. Don
Murphy's background and experience are a perfect fit for the Freedom Center in the years immediately

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Freedom Center Elects Donald Murphy, Former National Park Service Executive, As Ne... Page 2 of 2

ahead."

Murphy said the Freedom Center's unique mission, as well as its roots in American history, attracted
him to the CEO position.

"Americans are deeply interested in understanding and preserving the nation's rich and varied
heritage," Murphy said. "The Freedom Center's mission fosters a collective understanding of the
nation's struggle for freedom throughout its history, but also by linking history with contemporary
issues in a way that is broadly appealing and inspiring. I am excited and honored to be working with
John, Spencer, the Board and staff to strengthen and expand the Freedom Center's very important place
in our national dialogue about freedom."

Raised in Los Angeles, CA, Murphy earned a BA degree in Biology in 1975 at the University of
California, San Diego. After graduating he attended graduate school in physiology and pharmacology
at UC San Diego, where he served as a graduate research assistant at the world renowned Salk
Institute. He later transferred to UC Irvine where he worked on his Ph.D. until hired as a state park
ranger.

During his distinguished career Murphy has served as president of the California State Park Rangers
Association, the National Association of Outdoor Recreation Liaison Officers, trustee and treasurer of
the National Park Conservation Association, and trustee of the Golden Gate National Park
Conservancy, and continues to serve on several other boards. Murphy also is a seminar moderator at
the Aspen Institute in Colorado, where he leads seminars on executive leadership and leading change.

Pepper said he intends to work side-by-side with Murphy over the next several months, introducing
him to Freedom Center supporters, civic and governmental officials and community leaders.

"Don Murphy is coming onboard at a time when we can point to many signs of progress in the
Freedom Center's development," Pepper said. "Foremost among these is the overwhelmingly positive
reactions of our more than 500,000 visitors, who tell us that the Freedom Center is among the best and
most inspiring museum experiences they've ever had. We're also offering a broader array of programs
and exhibits that have wide appeal, such as our Reintegration of Pro Football exhibition last fall and
Invisible: Slavery Today, our current exhibit about contemporary slavery, along with a speaker series
that is bringing to Cincinnati important and interesting presenters, like David McCullough, Juan
Williams, Kevin Bales and Susan Taylor. The opportunity before us now is to build upon these
successes and, through the leadership of Don, Spencer, the staff and Board and other volunteer leaders,
achieve the Freedom Center's full potential for our community and our nation."

About the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Situated in Cincinnati, Ohio the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center celebrates the legacy
of courage and multicultural cooperation embodied in the story of the Underground Railroad. The
Freedom Center uses a wide array of exhibits and programs to educate the public about the historic and
continuing struggle to establish universal freedom in both the U.S. and around the world. For
additional information, call 513.333.7500 or visit www.freedomcenter.org.

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