Leon Natker

Executive Director

Mesa Historical Museum welcomes our new Executive Director Leon Natker!

Leon Natker is an archaeologist/anthropologist and an artist. Leon began his career as an actor/singer at the age of twelve. He attended New York’s famed Juilliard school before embarking on a career which took him across the United States and eventually to Europe to study and sing opera. Leon eventually turned to directing which brought him to San Diego and the invitation to become the Executive Director of Lyric Opera San Diego. During his tenure in San Diego he grew the organization from a community-based company to a 2.5-million-dollar professional regional company. In 2000 the need for a new home for the company lead Leon into the world of historic preservation. Putting together a public/private enterprise he led the 8-million-dollar capital campaign to restore the historic 1928 North Park Theater.

In 2011 Leon decided to pursue a new life in the world of museums. He acquired degrees in archaeology from Eastern New Mexico University and Museum Studies from the University of New Mexico. He has participated in digs at the Yangguanzhai site in central China, Chaco Canyon and Gila Cliffs. He has worked on historic preservation projects at Montezuma Castle, Bandelier National Monument, and the Coronado Historic site in New Mexico. Museum positions have included collections management and co-curation of exhibits at the Maxwell Museum, Blackwater Draw, and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe. He is a published author and lecturer in archaeology of the southwest. Leon looks forward to using his many skills for the advancement of the Mesa Historical Museum.