John K. Roth

from Pomona College in 1962, graduating magna cum laude and with honors in philosophy and membership in Phi Beta Kappa.

[1] After graduating from Yale University, Roth joined the faculty at Claremont McKenna College, where he taught philosophy, with an emphasis on Holocaust and genocide studies.

Roth was a Fulbright Lecturer in American studies attached to the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Education, Research, and Church Affairs in Oslo, Norway, from 1995 to 1996.

In 1998, he was chosen to direct the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the museum, but he was criticized by national conservative media for some of his past writings, which were characterized as insufficiently supportive of Israel.

The academic community largely rallied to his defense and the museum's council voted overwhelmingly to reaffirm his selection, condemning the criticism as "character assassination", but he withdrew from the position.