Richard Leventhal, an internationally recognized scholar in Mesoamerican studies, has been named the Williams Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. He will take over the reins from Jeremy A. Sabloff, who will step down from his directorship on June 30 after 10 years of service.

Leventhal is currently the president and chief executive officer of the School of American Research in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and has numerous books and articles to his name, including, most recently, “Archaeology in the Mediterranean: The Present State and Future Scope of a Discipline,” co-edited with John Papadoupoulos. Focusing his research on the civilization and culture of the ancient Maya, Leventhal has directed many excavations and research projects in the Yucatan and Belize and remains active in the field.

Before serving at SAR, Leventhal was director of the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA, where he was associate professor of anthropology from 1993 to 2001.