Museum of Flight names new president and CEO

Douglas King, head of the St. Louis Science Center, has been named the new president and chief executive officer of the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

King, who received his MBA from the University of Washington, will succeed interim president Michael Hallman. Hallman will return to his previous role as vice chairman of the museum's board of trustees.

"We are absolutely delighted to have Doug King join us here," said Kevin Callaghan, chairman of the board at the museum. "His impressive background as president of the Challenger Center for Space Science Education in Washington D.C., his ties to the Northwest and his track record with the St. Louis Science Center sets the stage for our next exciting chapter at the Museum of Flight."

Museum officials say the appointment comes at a crucial time as the Museum of Flight is vying to obtain one of the retiring NASA space shuttles and is hoping to build a new gallery to house its collection of airplanes, including the first jet used as Air Force One, the only Concorde on the West Coast and the prototype 747.

King, 63, a Fresno, Calif., native, takes over from former astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, who resigned in July. She is now executive director of Wings Over Washington, a Museum of Flight affiliate that is focusing on the museum's education initiatives and working to bring the NASA space shuttle to Washington.

Before moving to St. Louis, King served for five years as president of the Challenger Center, which was founded by the families of the astronauts who perished in the Challenger disaster. It established education facilities in more than 50 cities across North America and England.

The St. Louis Science Center is the fourth-largest science center in the country.

King also spent nearly 20 years in the electronics industry and serves on several boards.

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054 or sgilmore@seattletimes.com