Aug

Smithsonian 175: Toward A More Diverse, Inclusive, and Representative Smithsonian

After a decade of often heated debate, on August 10, 1846, President James K. Polk signed legislation to establish the Smithsonian Institution. Since then, the Smithsonian has become the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums, the National Zoo, and nine research facilities.

Last August 10, we marked our 175th anniversary by recreating a 95 year-old photograph of Smithsonian leaders in the Castle’s Great Hall. The Smithsonian has evolved and grown in many ways our the past 175 years, but perhaps none more profoundly than with our people. As we begin our 176th year and look forward to the Nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026, we do so with through the lenses and experiences of an increasingly diverse, inclusive, and representative staff and leadership.

1927 black and white photo of Secretary Walcott and Smithsonian staff and regents seated on chairs in the Great Hall of the Smithsonian Institution Building — This photograph was taken at the 1927 “Conference on the Future of the Smithsonian.” Then-Secretary Charles Walcott is seated at the far right of the first row, next to Chief Justice and Smithsonian Chancellor William Howard Taft and President Calvin Coolidge (soon-to-be President Herbert Hoover is directly behind them). Photo courtesy Smithsonian Libraries and Archives

The first photograph was taken at the 1927 Conference on the Future of the Smithsonian. Then-Secretary Charles Walcott is seated at the far right of the first row, next to Chief Justice and Smithsonian Chancellor William Howard Taft and President Calvin Coolidge (soon-to-be President Herbert Hoover is directly behind them).

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch and senior staff seated in Great Hall of the Smithsonian Castle (2021) — *Front row (L/R): Julissa Marenco, Steve Case, Lonnie G. Bunch III Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Meroe Park, Kevin Gover;*
*Second Row (L/R): Doug Hall, Monique Chism, Cathy Helm, Era Marshall, Rob Spiller, Greg Bettwy;*
*Third Row (L/R): Carol LeBlanc, Charles Alcock, Eduardo Díaz, Kim Sajet, Richard Kurin;*
*Fourth Row (L/R): Tuck Hines, Stephanie Stebich, Lisa Sasaki, Eliot Gruber, Melanie Adams, Rachel Goslins;*
*Fifth Row (L/R): Nancy Bechtol, Kevin Young, Myriam Springuel, Chase Robinson, Anthea Hartig;*
*Sixth Row (L/R): Carol O’Donnell, Vernon Simms, Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar, Janice Lambert, Amy Chen, Fredie Adelman;*
*Seventh Row: (L/R): Josh Tewksbury, Chris Browne, Liza Kirwin, Scott Miller, Antonio Guzmán;*
*Eighth Row (L/R): Susan Ades, Will Pitt, Mike Reese, Darren Milligan, Joy Columbus, Bill Tompkins;*
*Ninth Row (L/R): Whitney Watriss, Anne Williams, Jennifer Case (Photo courtesy James Di Loreto, Brittany M. Hance and Mignonette Dooley)*

The August 2021 photograph captures the Smithsonian’s current leadership. Secretary Bunch is flanked to his left by Deputy Secretary Meroe Park and Under Secretary for Museums and Culture Kevin Gover, and to his right by Chair of the Board of Regents Steve Case and Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer Julissa Marenco.

As Secretary Bunch said on the launch of Smithsonian 175, “since 1846, the Smithsonian’s mission of the ‘increase and diffusion of knowledge’ has been at the heart of everything the Institution has done, and we have proudly shared our accomplishments with hundreds of millions of people across America and around the world. That continuing success is the result of the work of our dedicated and diverse staff and volunteers, from our first employee, William McPeake, to all of you here today.”