The Huntington Announces Retirement of Trustee, ‘Historic’ Expansion of Board

The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino announced Wednesday it is bidding farewell to longtime Board of Trustees Member and Chairman Loren Rothschild, while simultaneously announcing the expansion of the board from five members to seven.

Rothschild, who has served the Board of Trustees since 2009 and has been chair since 2017, is set to retire at the end of June, according to a statement issued by The Huntington. He will stay on as a trustee emeritus.

“Loren’s commitment to this remarkable institution has allowed it to flourish during his time as Trustee and Chair of the Board,” Huntington President Karen Lawrence said. “Loren is a bibliophile who has championed the entire institution every step of the way, and he has done it with judgment and wit.”

Also, in what The Huntington describes as a “historic move,” the Board of Trustees will also be expanded from five members to seven, “reflecting the institution’s growth and increasing complexity since it was founded in 1919,” the statement said.

The Board of Trustees receives support from a 63-member Board of Governors.

It has had five members since it was founded over 100 years ago on what was then the estate of Henry E. and Arabella D. Huntington, according to the institution.

“The Huntington now holds 11 million items in its Library, tens of thousands of works of art in its European and American art collections, and includes more than a dozen principal gardens occupying 130 acres,” the statement said.

The Huntington also offers research and education programs, as well as hosts roughly 800,000 guests and 1,700 research scholars annually, representatives said.

“During the course of this institutional growth, the scope of the Board of Trustees’ duties and responsibilities has increased accordingly,” according to the statement. “The addition of two seats also provides a crucial opportunity to bring more voices, diverse backgrounds, and points of view to the board as it works with the leadership and staff to advance The Huntington’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan, a high-priority for The Huntington.”

Huntington added that the plan was approved by the Los Angeles County Superior Court last spring and will be put into effect on July 1.

More information on The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens is available on the organization’s website at huntington.org.