Meroe Park has served in C-suite executive roles for nearly two decades across multiple organizations, managing a wide range of portfolios. She most recently served as the deputy secretary and chief operating officer (COO) at the Smithsonian Institution, the largest museum and research complex in the world with over 16 million annual visitors. She was responsible for implementing strategic initiatives across the organization and for operating its 21 museums, numerous research institutes, and the National Zoo. She stewarded the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and instituted a number of initiatives to strengthen internal operations. She also championed modernizing the Smithsonian’s digital capabilities, including adopting artificial intelligence tools to aid visitors and researchers in mining the institution’s vast collections.

Park spent the majority of her career at the Central Intelligence Agency, where, during her 27 years, she rose through the ranks from a junior analyst to the COO, the highest-ranking civilian position in the organization. As the COO, Park managed the agency’s day-to-day operations and oversaw the organization’s multibillion-dollar budget. She also guided the organization through several strategic initiatives, including the largest organizational change ever implemented at the CIA, a modernization of the agency’s information technology systems, the stand up of a corporate decision-making structure, and the implementation of talent initiatives focused on workforce development.

Park also served as the agency’s chief of human resources. In this assignment, she strengthened the CIA’s talent management practices by developing enhanced performance-management processes and improving employee-development systems. During her CIA career, Park filled numerous other roles at the CIA, including serving five years overseas.

In 2026, Park was invited to rejoin the board of directors for the publicly-traded Butterfield Group, from which she resigned in 2020 in order to comply with the Smithsonian’s policy prohibiting public board service. She serves on the compensation and governance committees and advises on issues such as structural change, technology, and global risk, among others. She also serves on the Georgetown University governance board, where she serves on the audit and student affairs committees.

Park has earned numerous awards during her career. She was twice the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the federal government’s highest honor for career professionals. She also received the CIA’s most prestigious recognition—the Distinguished Intelligence Medal—for her leadership as the executive director. She was selected as a Gold House A100 honoree in 2025, and in 2026 was awarded the Smithsonian’s Exceptional Service Gold Medal, the highest honor awarded by the secretary.