JFK Library Foundation Names New Leader

BOSTON, MA — The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation has found a new leader in Steven Rothstein, who will serve as the Executive Director of the organization starting this month.

Rothstein, a longtime friend of the Kennedy family, has led the Perkins School for the Blind and is currently director of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center for the Prevention of Gun Violence.

The Kennedy Library Foundation is the non-profit organization that provides financial support, staffing, and resources for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum along the waterfront in Dorchester. The institution is governed by the National Archives and Records Administration.

“I am truly humbled to be appointed the next Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation,” Rothstein said in a release from the foundation. “Through the inspiration of President Kennedy and members of his family, I have built my career around assisting individuals that have been in the shadows of society. I am thrilled to join our amazing board, team, and supporters at the Foundation and look forward to building upon the successful collaboration between the Foundation and Library to make President Kennedy’s legacy accessible to new generations.”

Rothstein's predecessor, Heather Campion, resigned in December after what The Boston Globes reports was a "stormy tenure" marked by staff departures and complaints, as allies say she sought to modernize the organization.

Rothstein, a Somerville resident and Northeastern University graduate, begins his tenure on Sept. 6.

>> Photo by Alison Bauter, Patch staff