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Office of Government Relations

ell Payne, the Smithsonian’s Director of Government Relations, will be leaving the Smithsonian Dec. 31. Payne coordinates all communications between the Smithsonian Institution and Congress.

Nell Payne, director, Office of Government Relations (Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

Every year, she and her staff work with other offices at the Smithsonian to convey our budget requests to Congress and the Administration. They also diligently prepare for our annual hearings before the committees that fund and oversee the Institution.

Payne has been significantly involved in many of the major projects that the Smithsonian has undertaken since 2000, including the openings of the Udvar-Hazy Center, the American Indian Museum and, most recently, the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Under her leadership, OGR implemented the annual Congressional Night and Family Day at the Zoo, giving members and their staffs—and their families—an opportunity to come to a different museum each year.

Previously an attorney at Verner Liipfert Bernhard McPherson and Hand, Payne specialized in legislative issues under the jurisdiction of the Congressional Budget and Appropriations Committees, as well as legislative procedure, intellectual property and communications law.

Before joining the firm in April 1994, Payne was corporate relations manager at The American University of Paris.

After some rest and travel, she plans to resume her education and pursue a master’s degree in French.legislative affairs.

Payne was director of government affairs for Turner Broadcasting System Inc., in Washington, from 1987 to 1990. She worked for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget from 1982 to 1987, first as staff attorney and then as chief counsel.

Perhaps mostly importantly, Nell has been a source of great wisdom and guidance to many during her tenure here at the Smithsonian.

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