BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Art & Science Museum announced Tuesday that it will be getting new leadership.

LASM's board has named Karen Soniat as the museum's president and executive director. When Soniat begins the job on May 1, she will be the museum's fourth leader since its 1962 incorporation.

Soniat currently serves as the associate vice president for institutional advancement, annual giving and membership for The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

A Baton Rouge native, she has also served as an executive at both the LSU Law Center and Southeastern University. Soniat began her career as an art teacher at East Baton Rouge and Ascension Parish schools.

Soniat will replace previous LASM's executive director and president Serena Pandos, who took the job in 2019 following Carol Gikas' retirement after 39 years with the museum.

The LASM, which includes the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium, sees an annual attendance of approximately 50,000.