Royal BC Museum CEO resigns

The chief executive officer of the Royal BC Museum has resigned amid concerns about systemic racism at the museum.

The Royal BC Museum announced Tuesday that Prof. Jack Lohman will be stepping down from his role as CEO. His last day will be Friday.

Dr. Daniel Muzyka, who currently chairs the museum’s board of directors, has been named interim chief executive officer.

“Prof. Lohman and the Board of Directors considered how best to move the organization forward as it addresses current internal issues while carrying on its usual work and the modernization initiatives in progress. It was mutually agreed that his departure would be in the best interests of the organization,” the museum said in a statement.

Lohman first joined the museum in 2012. His resignation comes less than a month after the First Nations Leadership Council issued a statement expressing concerns about reports of “ongoing systemic racism and toxic working conditions” within the Royal BC Museum.

It also comes weeks after the museum proclaimed that a rare 100-kilogram Lekwungun ritual sandstone pillar had been found on a beach near Dallas Road last summer, only to have the sensational claim disputed by a local carver.

ALSO READ: Authenticity of Indigenous stone pillar found on Victoria beach called into question

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