Kinsey Institute Directors

The Kinsey Institute has had eight directors—each bringing new focus and vision to the study of sexuality, relationships, and well-being. 

Executive Director, 2019-Current

Dr. Justin Garcia was appointed Acting Executive Director in July 2019 and Executive Director in 2020. The beginning of his direction of the institute was marked by the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic, when the Kinsey Institute pivoted quickly to launch a dedicated COVID-19 research program and provide information and guidance about the impact of the disease on sex and relationships. The Institute introduced an online sex education initiative as well as new online outreach initiatives including a social media campaign featuring items from the Special Collections on Instagram and Facebook, an online symposium on censorship and obscenity, and streaming of the Kinsey Institute Discussion & Lecture Series.

In 2022, the Institute launched two new initiatives to address underserved areas of research and social policy:

• The Kinsey-Kelley Center for Gender Equity in Business is a joint project of the Kinsey Institute and the Kelley School of Business to address issues of gender inequity, sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment in the workplace.
• The Disability and Sexual Health Initiative seeks to focus on under-researched populations with disabilities, with the goal to improve quality of sexual experience for persons with disabilities and their partners, which can impact quality of life and relationships.

More about Dr. Garcia

Executive Director 2014-2019

Dr. Carter expanded the Kinsey Institute's research to examine sexuality and intimacy within the dynamics of relationships. She established the Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium which is a pioneering research group collaborating with clinicians on addressing long-term changes to physiology, physical health, and emotional well-being in the aftermath of trauma. Following a 2016 water pipe break in the Institute's home in Morrison Hall, the Kinsey Institute Special Collections were transferred to the climate-controlled IU Libraries Auxiliary Library Storage Facilities and offices were moved to Lindley Hall. Dr. Carter also spearheaded the Travelling Exhibitions Program which continues to partner with national and international museums and galleries to exhibit Kinsey Institute archival and art items for audiences worldwide.

Director 2004-2013

Dr. Julia Heiman’s tenure saw significant growth in research and in the collections. Under her guidance, institute researchers produced findings on a number of topics, including: arousal response in bisexual men; sexual satisfaction & relationship happiness in midlife couples; infidelity in heterosexual couples; the effects of hormonal contraceptives on women's sexual experience; and effective condom fit. The institute also hosted a number of art exhibitions and established the Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show, which ran for 10 years exhibiting submissions from artists around the world.

Director 1995-2004

Dr. John Bancroft is the first and only medical doctor to serve as executive director. During his tenure, the Kinsey Institute stepped into clinical research, as well as the digital age with the launch of the first website and email information services. Bancroft also drove the institute to reflect on its mission and its original publications with celebrations of the 50th anniversaries of Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Institute staff expanded their impact during this period by hosting symposiums, numerous art exhibits, and public facility tours.

Interim Director 1993-1995 and 2013-2014
Research Director 2024-current

Current research director Dr. Stephanie Sanders, who joined the institute as a researcher in 1982, served as interim director for two years in 1993-1995 and again for one year in 2013-2104. 

Director 1982-1993

Dr. June Reinisch, a psychologist from Columbia University, was appointed director after Dr. Gebhard’s retirement. Under her directorship, the institute—which was renamed The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction—expanded its vision and broadened its public impact. It also found its fourth home at Morrison Hall on the IU Bloomington campus. By 1990, the Kinsey Institute had grown enough to launch the first full cataloguing and exhibition of art collections.

Director 1956-1982

Dr. Paul Gebhard, a Harvard trained anthropologist who joined the team in 1947, took over as executive director after Dr. Kinsey's death in 1956. The ISR faced several difficulties at the time, including a protracted and expensive legal battle with U.S. Customs, the need to find new sources of funding, and several incomplete projects. Over the next 25 years, Gebhard succeeded in opening the institute's doors to scholars around the world, making it a leading resource center for those interested in all facets of human sexuality.

Dr. Alfred Kinsey built the foundation of research and collection of sexuality-related resources that became the Institute for Sex Research (ISR) in 1947. He oversaw data collection and publication of the ground-breaking volumes, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953) - known as the 'Kinsey Reports' - before his death in 1956.