Dr. Josh Bonde chosen to head Nevada State Museum

The Nevada Division of Museums and History is pleased to announce that Josh Bonde, Ph.D., has been selected to serve as director of the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.

Dr. Bonde starts his new role on July 11, 2022. He succeeds Myron Freedman, the museum director since 2017 and now the administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History.

“The Nevada State Museum is poised to enter an exciting new era under Dr. Bonde,” Freedman said. “His expertise in Nevada’s natural history fits extremely well with the museum’s collections.”

A native Nevadan raised in Fallon, Dr. Bonde is a member of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone.

He attended the University of Nevada, Reno, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology before completing a Master of Science in Earth Sciences from Montana State University in Bozeman, and a Ph.D. in Geoscience at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Bonde is passionate about educational outreach and telling the stories of all Nevadans.

“I am honored to take the helm of such a culturally important institution,” says Bonde. “The Museum is a gem in our community. I remember going through the underground mine as a child, and I look forward to continuing the tradition of inspiring guests of all backgrounds with our shared history moving forward.”

A geologist and paleontologist by profession, Dr. Bonde and his colleagues recently described the first dinosaur species unique to Nevada—a small two-legged plant eating animal named Nevadadromeus schmitti.

Dr. Bonde has served as academic faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and was Director of Conservation and Research at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. He also co-founded and served as Research Director of the Nevada Science Center.

He’s been a board member for the Southern Nevada Conservancy, the Geological Society of Nevada, and the McCaw School of Mines. Former Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed Dr. Bonde to the advisory council for the Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument.

Dr. Bonde was recognized in 2020 as a “40 Under 40” award recipient by Las Vegas Weekly for his work conserving Nevada history.

When he isn’t in the office, Dr. Bonde spends his time hiking, cooking, camping and fishing with his wife and fellow paleontologist, Becky, and their blended family of six children.