Secretary Bunch answers more of your questions

At his first All-Staff Meeting earlier this month, Secretary Bunch discussed his recent experiences as Secretary, explained his plans for Smithsonian, and took questions from staff about his direction and vision. Here he responds to some of the staff questions he didn’t get chance to answer onstage.

What do you hope local students will take away from their experiences with the Smithsonian?

I believe that museums have a unique obligation to reach those in our own communities. The Smithsonian is the nation’s museum, but we are also tied inextricably to DC. So when we talk about inspiring young people and preparing them to meet their futures, we need to start right here.

When I think about our education work, I’m particularly proud of our efforts to partner with DC Public Schools to better serve this city’s pre-K through grade 12 students. Hosting sleepovers for DCPS students and families at our museums, supplying lesson plans and curricula materials to classrooms throughout the city, bringing students in to get hands on experience in the collections. These are wonderful efforts – I intend to continue to develop these educational opportunities and find new ways to reach out to the students in this city.

The Smithsonian is a place of lifelong learning, yes. But when it comes to young people – especially those in our home communities – we have a special responsibility and opportunity to educate, to excite, to spark imagination.

After successfully leading NMAAHC from concept to completion, are you encouraging the Smithsonian to build other museums dedicated to the Latino community or to women’s history?

I believe the Smithsonian should recognize and celebrate the stories of all Americans, stories as diverse as the audiences we serve. We’ve taken significant steps in this direction through our existing museums and programs. Through programs like Asian Pacific American Center, the Smithsonian Latino Center and the American Women’s History Initiative, the Smithsonian has dedicated resources (for exhibitions, for additional hires, for public programs, etc.) to uncover and share these stories.

At this time, Congress has not authorized the creation of a museum. In order to open a new museum, we would need significant funding from Congress (ideally, a 50/50 federal/ private funding split) for the planning and construction of a new building, as well as annual appropriations for operations of the museum and support for ongoing maintenance of our current facilities.

Are you planning to reorganize the Smithsonian’s administration?

One of my goals is to increase the nimbleness of our organization, and I do think that will require some structural changes. Having a nimble administrative operation is going to be critical to our success as an organization. To that end, all aspects of Castle operations are under review. Throughout this process, I believe that we can – and should – look to the best models in the Federal government for areas like HR and see how we can learn from those examples. Other organizations have made strides – even within the Federal system – and we should see how we might effectively adopt those processes.

How do you plan to increase diversity of staff, especially at senior levels?

I’ve spent my career challenging places to recognize that they are better when they recruit a diverse group of people to help shape their vision, storytelling, and day-to-day efforts. Now, as Secretary, I am deeply committed to fairness in hiring, treatment, and pay. If the Smithsonian wants to lead the country in conversations around diversity and representation, then we need to model the behaviors we espouse.

In recent years, the Smithsonian has made positive strides in this area, but I believe there is more progress to be made. Equity in pay and representation are issues that most museums and cultural institutions continue to grapple with, and the Smithsonian is no exception.

As Secretary, those principles continue to guide me, and under my watch, the Institution will always work to recruit, compensate, and support our staff fairly.  We need to ensure that we’re achieving real equity, especially relating to gender, race and ethnicity.

Many SI staff also hail from the great state of New Jersey. What skills stick with you from growing up there?

I don’t get to practice often, but I gotta tell you, I’m pretty good at the carny games you find on the boardwalks on the Jersey Shore.

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