BATON ROUGE - For the first time in its history, the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum has a full-time, experienced museum curator and director at its helm.

The Advocate reports the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission, the body that oversees the museum, selected David Beard as the museum's new executive director.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Beard has spent most of the past two decades managing museum collections across the country. Several had a maritime focus that allowed him to draw on his background as a marine archaeologist and historian. He began work at the USS Kidd on Nov. 1.

Beard said he sought the job at the USS Kidd because it offered the kinds of challenges someone in his position wants.