For Giles himself, The Leonardo has been a reunion of sorts. He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, in The Avenues, until the age of 10 when his father was transferred to San Francisco. He spent his teenage years in the Bay Area before returning to Utah to get a bachelor's degree in history at Brigham Young University.

He later received a Master of Public Administration degree at the University of Pittsburgh before embarking on a career creating and building museums. He's spent most of his life in the Silicon Valley in California, where he was involved with The Tech Museum of Innovation, a highly acclaimed facility in San Jose.

Six years ago, The Leonardo put Giles on its initial advisory board because of his expertise in museum development and his Salt Lake City connection. Last April, The Leonardo named him director of program strategy, a part-time consulting position that ultimately catapulted him into the executive director's chair this past August when Mary Tull stepped down.

"I seem to have come full circle," said the former and now current Salt Laker, seemingly as surprised as anyone at the sudden change of events in his life and his address.

Giles' great-grandfather was a Mormon handcart pioneer, and when he was a kid, he remembers his parents would take him downtown to the handcart memorial to remind him of his roots.

Now he can do the same for his grandchildren — and swing them around to the city's new right-brain/left-brain museum while he's at it.

Lee Benson's column runs Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Please send e-mail to benson@desnews.com