HEART OF THE WEST

Todd Bankofier takes the reins as CEO and Executive Director of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West

BY KAYLOR JONES / PHOTO BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE

Todd Bankofier knows better than anyone that the spirit of the West is strong in Scottsdale. This May, it was announced that he would serve as the new chief executive officer and executive director of Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West.

“I’m more than humbled to be in this new role because I know of all the trials and ordeals it took for the founding members to make Western Spirit a reality in partnership with the City of Scottsdale,” says Bankofier, who attended Arizona State University for business management and worked on Capitol Hill before bringing his leadership skills back to Arizona. While living in D.C., he was a frequent attendee of the Smithsonian Museums, continuing a trend from his childhood in northern Nevada.

“I remember specifically getting on a school bus from our rural elementary school and traveling into town to a museum and being in awe of all the art and interactive activities for us to learn more about history,” he says. “These institutions are so amazingly educational. They all accomplish an important mission, just like our own at Western Spirit – they illuminate the past to better shape the future.”

Bankofier’s own past, and his leadership style, were greatly influenced by his grandfather, a second-generation rancher and mayor of Reno who taught him the importance of faith, honesty, equality, and service after Bankofier’s father passed away when he was young.

It’s these very principles, plus his aptitude for rapidly course correcting on the path to modernization, that have landed him on numerous lists of top business leaders in the Valley over the years. And today, whether he’s helping install rotating exhibits or overseeing the museum’s beloved permanent exhibitions – from six centuries of Hopi pottery to Abe Hays’ collection of more than 1,400 Old West artifacts – Bankofier’s goal stays the same.

“I hope guests find delight in being inspired and informed by the beautiful American West and all it has to offer in culture and heritage, but also in so much honesty and instruction for our future.”