Leadership & Executive Team

Elizabeth Babcock, PhD

President & Chief Executive Officer

Elizabeth Babcock, PhD, joined the Adler Planetarium as its President & CEO in October 2025. Prior to joining the Adler, Babcock served as the Founding Director of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in Washington D.C., where she laid the groundwork for a new national museum focused on women’s history, advanced a multimillion dollar campaign, and expanded national support for the museum.

Prior to her time at the Smithsonian, Babcock served as the inaugural President and CEO of Forever Balboa, the city of San Diego’s private partner stewarding a 1,200-acre urban park and cultural destination.

For over a decade, Babcock served as the Chief Public Engagement Officer and Roberts-Wilson Dean of Education at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. There her portfolio included the Morrison Planetarium and Science Visualization Studio, the Steinhart Aquarium, and public-facing programs that reached over 20 million learners worldwide and secured significant philanthropic support for science education. In Chicago, Babcock previously served as Vice President of Education and Library Collections at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Dr. Babcock holds a PhD and MA in Cultural Anthropology from Indiana University. She also holds a Certificate in E-learning Design and Development from San Francisco State University, and a BA in Psychology and a BM in Music Education from Northwestern University.

Andrew Johnston, PhD

Vice President of Museum Experience & Collections

Andrew Johnston oversees the Adler’s efforts in development of museum experiences, exhibitions, theater productions and operations, public observing, history of astronomy research, and conservation of and outreach with the Adler’s world-renowned collections. Johnston received his PhD in Geographical Sciences from the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Johnston has worked in science museums for 35 years, conducting research and developing public programs.

Ryu Mizuno

Chief Revenue Officer

Ryu Mizuno has nearly twenty years of broad marketing and brand strategy experience in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining the Adler, Mizuno was Senior Director of External Relations for the YMCA of the USA where he was responsible for marketing efforts geared to elevate brand reputation, public awareness, and fundraising for the Y as a leading nonprofit for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. He also served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Catholic Relief Services, and led award-winning marketing campaigns for world-renowned brands such as UNICEF, Major League Baseball, and Tiffany & Co.

Mizuno holds a BS degree in Communications from Boston University and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business. He speaks fluent Japanese.

Laura Trouille, PhD

Vice President of Science Engagement

Laura Trouille, PhD, has been leading the science engagement efforts since June 2015.  Before that time, she held a dual postdoctoral position at Northwestern University and at the Adler, as an observational astronomer (examining supermassive black holes) and a science-education researcher (on the impact of lesson plans incorporating computational thinking into K-12 STEM education).  She earned a Bachelors’ Degree summa cum laude from Dartmouth College and holds a doctorate in Astronomy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Alec Guroff

Interim Chief Financial Officer

Prior to joining the Adler, Alec Guroff served as the Chief Financial Officer of Knox College. Before moving to the midwest, he provided finance, accounting and consulting services to non-profit organizations in the Washington, D.C. area. He earned a B.A. in politics from Princeton University, an M.A. in Russian Studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Alec is also treasurer and head of the finance committee at the Synetic Theater and a member of the finance committee at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land.