Judy Gradwohl is an American non-profit executive who serves as president and CEO of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
During her tenure, the museum has transitioned from traveling to in-house exhibitions, shifted its strategic focus toward applied conservation research, and developed new curricula blending onsite, online, and nature-based activities.
[2][3] Under Gradwohl's leadership, the museum received an $800,000 grant in 2024 from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to launch a statewide initiative to coordinate and enhance environmental equity research in California's three major urban centers by promoting citizen science, in which residents are invited to contribute to data collection and analysis.
In addition to curating major traveling exhibits on tropical forest and ocean conservation, she was responsible for developing the Smithsonian's first website[7][8] and establishing its Office of Environmental Awareness.
[10] In 2018, she was the recipient of a fellowship to attend Harvard Business School's “Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management” executive education program.
[11] From 2020 to 2023, Gradwohl served on the Aspen Institute's Science & Society Program Advisory Council.