An art major in the Williams Class of 1985, Michael Govan was drawn immediately into museum administration by Tom Krens, then director of the Williams College Museum of Art, with whom he worked on the conception of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. When Krens then became director of the Guggenheim Museum, Govan soon joined him as deputy director. He later headed the Dia Foundation, which supports artists in a variety of mediums. While there he led the conversion of a former Nabisco factory into the mammoth and acclaimed museum of contemporary art known as Dia:Beacon. Since becoming director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in 2006, he has overseen construction of a new entrance plaza and the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum and has introduced more vibrancy to LACMA’s exhibitions. He has been described by Getty Trust President James Wood as “one of the most dynamic professionals in the art world today.”