Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch Announces Retirement After Seven Years

Lonnie G. Bunch III, who became the Smithsonian Institution’s first historian and first African-American secretary in 2019, said he will retire at the end of the year after overseeing 20 museums and the National Zoo. Bunch highlighted the museum’s role in preserving a comprehensive view of American history and noted his personal connection to the National Air and Space Museum, where he first worked under former astronaut Michael Collins.

"We are here speaking in a place as an African American where Frederick Douglass could not speak, but we are a different institution, we've made great changes and continue to do so. Nothing is impossible," Bunch said at his 2019 installation ceremony.

He emphasized the importance of presenting difficult stories, comparing incomplete historical narratives to a partial medical exam. Bunch also defended the Smithsonian against recent political attacks, including an executive order and a White House report that accused the institution of a “race-centered ideology.”

"I can't even comment on that, because the people who work at the Smithsonian love their country in profound ways," he said.

Bunch cited the creation of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which he helped launch, as the most significant achievement of his career. He suggested his successor should understand both the institution’s history and the current political environment.

"The Smithsonian is America's collective memory, and you don't want to be a nation that forgets," Bunch concluded.