The new executive director for the Museum of the Aleutians (MOTA) is finally arriving in Unalaska this weekend.
Dr. Neal Hitch is scheduled to reach the island on Sunday and start work on Monday, according to Melissa Good, secretary for MOTA's board of directors.
Good said the museum should open "soon" after Hitch's arrival.
The museum has been closed — all but a handful of days — since the fall, when the board placed former director Zoya Johnson on administrative leave after items from the museum's collection were found in her home.
Hitch will step into his new role with more than 20 years of experience. He has served as director of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum in California and the Turks & Caicos National Museum in the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Hitch signed his contract in June after receiving the job offer unanimously from MOTA's board of directors.
Their next meeting is scheduled for September.