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“San Diego County is one of the most diverse counties in the continental United States,” said Judy Gradwohl.
However, it does not apply to the local population. As President and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park, Gradwohl describes the beauty and biodiversity of the natural environment in this area. “Nature is an essential part of our life here.”
As a field biologist, she understands that those who equate nature with lush trees and changing seasons might miss out on the great diversity of the natural environment here. That is why Gradwohl describes the Natural History Museum as a “visitor center for nature in San Diego”.
Growing up near Los Angeles, Judy Gradwohl fell in love with nature at an early age. Her path in California’s Sierra Nevada and San Bernardino mountain ranges led her to study zoology at UC Berkeley.
During her studies, she received a scholarship to conduct field research on tropical bird behavior on the Smithsonian’s Barro Colorado Island in Panama and other parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
Next came what Gradwohl describes as “a fantastic run at the Smithsonian” in Washington, DC. When asked about her role there, she replied: “What wasn’t my role! I had a remarkable career that cannot be repeated today. “
As the first woman to serve as President and CEO of The Nat, a natural history museum, Gradwohl markets herself to the Museum for the Protection of Tropical Forests and Oceans, an advocate for the creation of environmental education initiatives and team leader for the Smithsonian’s first website of the year 1994.
Gradwohl explains the variety of their roles: “It was the innocence of youth. I didn’t know how big these projects were or how difficult each one would be. ”When she joined The Nat in July 2016, she found that“ every single part of our operation uses my experience when I encounter problems at the museum . “
On the fifth anniversary of her arrival as director of the Natural History Museum, Gradwohl, who lives in Mission Hills, is delighted about the importance of the museum for so many. She regularly meets people whose childhood memories of the museum inspire her to expand the museum’s reach to the general public.
In anticipation of the 150th anniversary of the Nat in 2024, Gradwohl’s vision is for the museum to be recognized for its scientific and conservation work, which it has been doing for more than a century, and also to be known as an exhibition and educational facility.
The museum has a university research department and close ties to the scientific community. Soon, the museum will partner with community scientists to study the canyons that make up San Diego’s unique urban green space.
Among many exciting plans within the museum and on the premises, the Natural History Museum will celebrate its 150th anniversary, among other things by laying out interpretation gardens around the museum. Once approved, these features will demonstrate low-water gardening and use the living natural history outside the walls of the museum as a classroom.
As a scientist, Gradwohl is aware, looking back and forth, that nobody knows what questions researchers will ask about the museum’s collection in the future. In the long term, she knows that it is her team’s job to look after the museum’s collection, which houses 8 million specimens that reflect 8 million stories about the area.
As custodians of the region’s ecological history, The Nat and its leader protect and celebrate “this amazing place we call home”.
To learn more about the San Diego Natural History Museum or to plan a visit, visit https://www.sdnat.org.
About this series
Ron Shulman is Chief Rabbi of the Beth El Congregation in La Jolla.
Someone San Diego Should Know is a weekly column written by members of the UT’s Community Advisory Board about local people who are interesting and noteworthy because of their experience, accomplishments, creativity, or references.
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