Leader of Civil Rights Institute to retire

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute says its president and CEO plans to retire at the end of the year. The institute said in a news release Tuesday that Lawrence Pijeaux Jr. will stay on in an interim role while the organization searches for his successor. Al.com reports Pijeaux has led the institute since 1995. The release said the institute received full accreditation from the American Association of Museums in 2005 and won national awards in 2007 and 2008. Pijeaux also presided over a $2.5-million renovation of the museum in 2009. Pijeaux was appointed to the board of the American Alliance of Museums in July. President Barack Obama appointed him to the National Museum and Library Services Board in 2010