The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has appointed Beth Hager to the role of director of The State Museum of Pennsylvania.

Hager has served as acting director since March 2016. As director, Hager will oversee the general administration of operations and programs at The State Museum. Hager's daily duties call for the supervision of the Museum's staff and collections management including storage, exhibition, security and acquisition, as well as fiscal oversight and planning.

Hager has more than 30 years of museum-related experience and has held various leadership positions at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in development, exhibitions, education and outreach. As the Museum's former Chief of Education and Outreach, Hager established the Museum's Learn at Lunchtime series, the National Geographic Giant Map exhibit, the student docent program and StoryTime at Curiosity Connection.

Most recently, Hager directed two special exhibits in the Museum's changing gallery: "A Fondness for Birds: Pennsylvania's Alexander Wilson" and "Working Together for Wildlife: Three Decades of Pennsylvania's Nature in Art," featuring wildlife art of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Prior to coming to the commission, Hager served as an executive producer for WITF-TV.

A native of West Virginia, Hager received her master's degree in American history with a museum studies certificate from the University of Delaware as a Hagley fellow in the History of Industrial America and her bachelor's degree in history and art history from West Virginia University.

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, adjacent to the State Capitol in Harrisburg, is one of 24 historic sites and museums administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission as part of the Pennsylvania Trails of History.

The State Museum offers expansive collections interpreting Pennsylvania's fascinating heritage. With exhibits examining the dawn of geologic time, the Native American experience, the colonial and revolutionary eras, a pivotal Civil War battleground and the commonwealth's vast industrial age, The State Museum demonstrates that Pennsylvania's story is America's story.

For more information about the museum, visit www.statemuseumpa.org.