W. Richard West, Jr. is Founding Director and Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and President and CEO Emeritus, Ambassador, Native Communities, of the Autry Museum of the American West. He is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and a member of the Society of Southern Cheyenne Peace Chiefs. West served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Alliance of Museums (1998 - 2000) and Vice President of the International Council of Museums (2007 - 2010). His current board affiliations include: Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums; Cheyenne and Arapaho Business Development Corporation; Cheyenne and Arapaho Museum Foundation; International Coalition of Sites of Conscience; Denver Art Museum; The MICA Group; and UCLA Institute of Environment and Sustainability. West previously served on the boards of the Ford Foundation, Stanford University, and the Kaiser Family Foundation. He has been awarded 11 honorary doctorate degrees.