Alumnus and Dunkirk native James D. Douglas, director of Human Resources at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker at the State University of New York at Fredonia Commencement, slated for Saturday, May 16 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Steele Hall Fieldhouse. For complete Commencement information, see the website.
Fredonia President Virginia Horvath noted, "I'm glad that Jim has agreed to speak with graduates. As a distinguished alumnus, he has a personal story that may inspire people to reach their professional goals. And his long-term service to the Smithsonian Institution offers a model to graduates who are interested in work related to the humanities and arts."
Mr. Douglas, a member of the Fredonia Class of 1971, has devoted his career to public service. He grew up in Dunkirk and is a graduate of the Dunkirk High School Class of 1967. Following his graduation from Fredonia with a B.A. in Political Science, Mr. Douglas received a Master of Public Administration in 1972 from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany. He presently serves on the Advisory Board for Rockefeller College. After receiving his MPA Douglas relocated to Washington, D.C. and began his public service career at the Office of Economic Opportunity. In 1977 Mr. Douglas moved to the Smithsonian Institution to head up the Institution’s labor relations program. After earning a Juris Doctorate degree in 1983 from the George Mason University School of Law, Douglas moved to the General Counsel’s office at the Smithsonian, rising from Assistant General Counsel to Deputy General Counsel. His focus was on the legal nature of the Smithsonian, a trust instrumentality of the United States, and its relations with the government, and as Deputy General Counsel, he was also responsible for all aspects of administrative law and litigation involving the Smithsonian.
In 2004 Douglas became Director of the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources with responsibility for developing and overseeing a comprehensive human capital program for the 6.400 civil service, trust, and foreign national employees of the Institution, world-wide. Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world's largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and nine research facilities.
