Meet the Smithsonian’s Unsung Heroes of 2025

Being an Unsung Hero isn’t about an individual act, but rather an overall attitude and set of achievements that reflects the best aspects of the Smithsonian and its employees. Meet this year’s Unsung Heroes of the Smithsonian.

The list of Smithsonian Unsung Heroes awaits its newest members. (Photo by Jaclyn Nash.)

Secretary Lonnie Bunch opened the 2025 Unsung Heroes Awards ceremony June 11 with a broad smile and a small confession. “This may be my favorite Smithsonian awards ceremony,” he said. “It reminds me of why I started working at the Smithsonian, of why I became a historian and a curator in the first place. I wanted to be a part of telling stories that were previously untold. I wanted to contribute to the mosaic of American history and elevate our understanding of ‘Who is someone worth talking about?’ ‘What makes a hero?’

“In museums, we often highlight heroes—the leaders of nations and of movements that make history; the explorers and discoverers who uncover new secrets about our world,” Bunch continued. “But there are far more who work without acclaim, whose work is not driven by recognition but stems from a deep resolve to do the right thing.

Secretary Bunch addresses the crowd gathered to celebrate the 2025 Smithsonian Unsung Heroes Awards June 11, 2025 (Photo by Jaclyn Nash)

“These ‘unsung heroes’ demonstrate why the Smithsonian has always been more than the sum of its parts: we each have a contribution to make, but it is our combined efforts that sustain this great Institution.

“We are here today to recognize 20 such heroes from across the Smithsonian who have been nominated for their exemplary work as collaborators and colleagues.

“As we are all aware, these are not normal times at the Smithsonian. It has never been more important for us to draw strength from each other, rely on one another to remain inspired and passionate about our work. Whether volunteering for a new endeavor, supporting a colleague on a project, or just sharing a laugh in an office kitchen, your initiative, diligence, and compassion have never been more important to the Institution. Those are values each one of you upholds,” Bunch concluded.

Meet this year’s Unsung Heroes of the Smithsonian:

The winners of the 2025 Unsung Heroes Awards pose with Secretary Lonnie Bunch and Under Secretary for Finance and Administration Ron Cortez. June 11, 2025. Photo by Jaclyn Nash.

Yaosca Escobar

Benefits and Employee Experience Analyst | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Yaosca is an unsung hero in the eyes of her colleagues at STRI because of all the ways she finds to support STRI’s mission and the people who work there. As a benefits and employee experience analyst, Yaosca offers her time and expertise to colleagues unselfishly and with courtesy; she is always willing to share her knowledge with others.

Yaosca led the STRI Community Committee for three years and reestablished the popular sports and wellness subcommittees. She went to every game, cheered loudly for everyone and stayed until the last player left the field.

She is dependable, dedicated, and reliable and makes outstanding contributions to the Smithsonian through her initiative and creativity. We appreciate everything she does for our small community at STRI.

Davide Jackson

Visitor Services Manager | National Museum of Asian Art

Davide Jackson consistently goes the extra mile for our visitors. If someone wants to find an exhibition, he will walk them there personally with a smile. By the end of the walk, he’s learned all about their interests anhd history; in one case, learning that a couple had their first date at the National Museum of Asian Art 40 years ago. When our elevator was out one hot day, Davide kept visitors happy despite the inconvenience by handing out fans because “we hope you’ll be a fan of the museum.”

Davide is constantly advocating on behalf of visitors–for better signage, for more representation in our galleries, for improved amenities. We keep trying to get Davide to take more vacation time because he is so dedicated to this museum, its visitors, and his colleagues. Davide will call the engineers on his day off when he hears his team is too hot or too cold at the information desks.

Davide has worked for the Smithsonian for his whole career and is an asset at our institution.

Lizbeth Ortiz

Travel Technician | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

As a travel technician at STRI, Lizbeth consistently delivers exceptional service in every aspect of her work. She plays a key role in helping staff navigate the complexities of scheduling travel—a task that can feel daunting. What sets Lizbeth apart is her unique combination of warmth and precision. While administrative processes such as travel logistics can be tedious or overwhelming to the uninitiated, Liz manages to bring a genuine human connection to her work. Her attention to detail ensures that nothing falls through the cracks, yet she never sacrifices approachability or kindness in the process.

She is someone who makes others feel heard, valued, and supported, all while maintaining an impressive level of efficiency and professionalism. Liz is not just a colleague who performs her job well—she embodies the spirit of service and collaboration that makes the Smithsonian a truly special place to work.

Leslie (Les) Shirkey

Submillimeter Array Antenna Mechanic | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Hawai’i

Les has been a longstanding and valued member of the elite SAO/SMA Hawai’i staff, with deep knowledge of the mechanical systems of the Submillimeter Array radio telescope antennas and infrastucture. He has spent countless hours doing all manner of precision tasks associated with the deployment, maintenance and repair of antenna systems, as well as many other aspects of the infrastructure that supports the observatory. For many years he was the sole person trained to use the specially built transporter, and was instrumental in diagnosing, fixing, and validating repairs when the transporter failed during the pandemic.

All this occurs at the 13,000-foot, high-altitude SMA site on Moana Kea, which presents its own challenges. Les always exhibits exemplary work and safety ethics. In just one of many examples, one Saturday earlier this year, Les came in to the observatory to clear snow and ice from around the SMA antennas after a Hawaiian snowstorm. Les is consistently striving to help the SMA run smoothly and efficiently, is always available to assist in many tasks, and counts safety as a high priority.

Frank Blazich

Curator of Modern Military History | National Museum of American History

Frank Blazich’s commitment to his curatorial division, his museum, and the Smithsonian are unparalleled. As a curator of military history, Frank collaborates with colleagues in collections, photo services, and conservation to enhance the musem’s stewardship of its collections. He has pored over hundreds of under-documented holdings in our collections to unveil their stories and bring them to the public.

A U.S. Air Force veteran himself, Frank advocated for and eventually created the Smithsonian Veteran’s Council as a way to amplify the voices of veterans and highlight issues of concern to them. In addition, Frank almost single-handedly created a process for hosting promotion and retirement ceremonies for uniformed service members at the American History Museum. Held before opening hours, these ceremonies usually take place in Flag Hall. Frank has coordinated with building, security, and event staff to create standard workflows for these events, and his ability to secure museum support to provide this service at no cost to the participants  has resulted in monthly events and a burgeoning network of armed forces offices who better know and love our collections and exhibits.

Robert Christensen

Supervisor, Electronics Engineer | Harvard |Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Rob leads the entire Submillimeter Array telescope technical team in Hawaii at a time when funding shortfalls mean staffing at the unit is only 65 percent. Despite the lack of staff, the Array has continued to maintain operations each night of the year. It is because of Rob’s leadership and technical acumen that the Submillimeter Array remains one of the most successful radio telescopes in the world. The past year has been an immensely productive one for the SMA, with many exciting scientific results being published, including the discovery of a “cosmic butterfly”, the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered; stunning new images of the Ring Nebula, never before imaged at high-resolution at millimeter wavelengths; and exciting first discoveries of flaring events.

Lemuel “Mark” Edney (deceased March 28, 2025)

Director of Facility Planning & Operations | National Museum of American History

Andrea Lowther nominated Mark for the Unsung Hero award, which sadly must be awarded posthumously. We will let her nomination speak for itself.

“I can’t count the number of times the Visitor, Volunteer, Intern and Business Engagement team at American History looked to Mark Edney for help and guidance. As our team works across many different functions affecting public operations, it is inevitable that there are conflicting needs and schedules. Mark was always available to answer questions big or small, and took the time to explain complex problems, help negotiate differences and reach a consensus that was beneficial to everyone.

“Mark was that magic combination of smart, knowledgeable, and kind — with a sense of humor that lifted our spirits even in stressful times, such as reopening the museum after the pandemic. He calmed everyone’s nerves by walking us through the protections in place for frontline staff and advocated for us to get what we needed, whether it was masks or hand sanitizer or Plexiglas barriers for the information desks. We trusted him implicitly, and it made it easier for us to do our jobs knowing that our building and processes were safe and fully thought out.

“While no single person can run a massive museum on their own, Mark’s work made a difference for everyone. While his untimely passing in March of this year has left a huge hole in our hearts and our museum, his legacy will live on through the relationships he nurtured and the effectiveness of the systems he put in place.”

Jenna Gustafson

Management Support Specialist | Smithsonian American Art Museum

Since the day she joined SAAM, Jenna has been a critical member of our conservation lab team at SAAM. She is the glue that holds the team together, as she truly is a support to everyone who works in the conservation lab. When administrative help is needed throughout SAAM, she is one of the first to volunteer her services to help others. She is an advocate for our museum, embracing opportunities to volunteer in support our strategic initiatives, public programs, and pan-Institutional work. She supports our PRICE team SI-wide, has served on administrative feedback teams and seeks to support all staff in any way possible. She is empathetic, kind, and we are grateful for her dedication to the Smithsonian mission, her hard work, and her example to us all in fairness, engagement, and civility toward one another.

Iley Lorne

Administrative Officer | FAC-Office of Facilities Management and Reliability

Iley was nominated by Frank Blazich, another of our Unsung Heroes honored here today. He wrote, “I have worked with Iley since she joined the Smithsonian several years ago. Without her constant investment of time and energy, the Smithsonian Institution Veterans Council would never have come into existence. She repeatedly volunteers to help with veterans’ issues and provides points of contact to aid with research, collecting, and professional networking. When extra hands are needed for a curatorial assignment, Iley is there to help support the preservation of the past and the sharing of knowledge with the general public. Furthermore, Iley embodies the principles of integrity and public service for the Smithsonian and the nation. I am better for working with her, as is the entire Institution.

Mary Monseur

Production Manager | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage

Longtime director of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Dan Sheehy says of Mary Monseur, “She is the most selfless, give-it-all, mission-driven colleague I have ever known.” She epitomizes all five Unsung Hero criteria to a T. Shortly after joining Folkways in 1987, her duties outgrew the capacity of any one person. But Mary fully embraced the Folkways mission from the start and took on any task necessary to get the work done. Her work ethic was extraordinary and never flagged; she went far beyond the limitations of “work hours” to offer guidance and advice.

Mary’s contributions to the Smithsonian go far beyond her work at Folkways. For example, for several years, she volunteered to take on the job of coordinating the Folklife Festival Marketplace and was unfailingly successful from both a cultural content and sales revenue point of view.  In the CFCH, she readily volunteered for committees contributing to a better work environment. Countless times, when she saw a Folkways or Folklife colleague struggling or perplexed, she tactfully moved in and helped, making her a godsend for countless staffers over her thirty-plus years’ tenure. She has NEVER asked to be recognized, rewarded, or praised. In fact, in her role as art director for Smithsonian Folkways, she opposed being credited as art director, preferring to deflect credit to the outside designers. Many Grammy-winning productions won art awards for those designers, and Mary was pleased to see them get the recognition.

 Cathryn Murphy

Administrative Specialist | High-Energy Astrophysics, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Cathryn consistently goes above and beyond in her administrative duties, providing exceptional support to the High-Energy Astrophysics Division of SAO. She is efficient and thorough, and is constantly looking for ways to optimize processes such as staff intake forms and onboarding.  She is proactive, routinely identifying and seeking out solutions to difficult problems without being asked. She lends her time selflessly to help train new administrative specialists, and she even helped manage the entire SAO fellowship program for a year after the unexpected departure of the fellowship coordinator. This was well beyond the scope of her position description. Cathryn is unfailingly patient, professional and kind, and it is not an exaggeration to say that her efforts on behalf of HEA, and all of SAO, are integral to the success of the unit.

John Allan Pilkerton

Mason | Office of Facilities Management and Reliability

John exemplifies what it means to be a total team player. When he is not completing masonry duties throughout the Smithsonian organization, he is assisting others and completing maintenance tasks that fall outside of his job description. He repairs doors and plumbing on-the-spot, fixes wheelchairs for patrons to ensure they are in proper working order and builds and moves office furniture throughout Air and Space. John also acts as a teacher, sharing his vast building maintenance knowledge and experience with others. He constantly seeks new methods and techniques to enhance his colleagues’ lives and the visitor experience.

Leslie Poster

Senior Writer-editor | National Museum of American History

Every word at American History goes through Leslie’s hands, and she makes sure they represent the exhibits’ interpretative goals, convey the history, and maintain an inviting tone for our staff and visitors.  She is a strong advocate for accessibility at the museum, SI-wide, and the entire public history field. She served on the writing team for the SI Guide to Interpretative Writing for Exhibitions and often speaks at conferences on how to make history more accessible for all. Her colleagues describe her as the heart and soul of American History.  And they also know if you need a band-aid, snack, toothpick, lint roller, breath mint, or lotion — she’s got you covered!

Abby Telfer

FossiLab Manager | National Museum of Natural History / Paleobiology

Abby does not merely manage a lab; she creates a community. The FossiLab is largely staffed by an army of dedicated and talented volunteers, most of whom have been trained by Abby to do a variety of fossil preparation and conservation techniques.  Often, they end up so well-trained that they are able to share their skills with one another and even teach the staff. Through her tireless efforts, she took a scruffy old workspace with a few volunteers and turned it into a world-class fish-bowl laboratory through recruiting staff, designing an inviting space, launching projects, acquiring funds and microscopes, and building an inclusive atmosphere.

Meredeth Watkins

Building Services Worker | OFMR New Zone Anacostia Community Museum

Meredeth consistently goes the extra mile to ensure that the Anacostia Community Museum’s facilities are excellently attended to in both the public and staff spaces. He is always willing to assist and help out colleagues when they need it, even when requests have little notice. If he sees someone struggling to move a box or clean up an area, he will always step in to help. He assists with getting packages to our office spaces even though it isn’t even an official part of his duties. His colleagues say they have never seen a set-up request that wasn’t done on time or exactly as requested. He is the first person they ask for help — and the one they rely on most.

Sarah Billington

VP Museum Relations/Project | Smithsonian Enterprises – Retail

Sarah consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty at Smithsonian Entreprises, from dawn to dusk every day. She steadily pushes progress of Enterprises projects through leadership meetings at all 21 museums and the zoo, and she still finds time to help her team with the less glamorous tasks behind-the-scenes, whether fixing grease interceptors at Smithsonian Restaurants or tracking down obscure documents on Prism. Her colleagues describe her as is a pleasure to work with and a prime example of how a Smithsonian employee should accomplish their goals.

Kristine Juncker

Grant and Contract Administrator | Office of Sponsored Projects

Kristine Juncker is a powerhouse of energy and optimism who is always willing to volunteer her time and effort. Kris worked for the Director of African Art from 2018 to 2022 before coming Office of Sponsored Projects in April of 2022 as a Management Analyst. Within a few months, she had mastered that job and sought to learn more. She learned about grants management and spent time every day for over a year assisting STRI with grant proposals and awards while still performing her core duties. When Kris became a Grant Administrator in 2024, she volunteered to cross-train with SI’s Research Compliance Officer, whose impending retirement would create a serious loss of knowledge and risk for the Institution.

Kris also volunteered to participate on SI’s Congress of Scholars and served as co-Secretary and co-led the review committee for the Secretary’s Research Prizes in 2025. Kris is always willing to fill in when needed, helping her office get critical tasks done when short-staffed. Her colleagues say she is always cheerful, friendly, gracious, kind and consistently ‘goes the extra mile.

Hannah Osborn

Project Manager | Smithsonian Science Education Center

From the day Hannah Osborn started at the Smithsonian Science Education Center, she has consistently gone above and beyond. She helps everyone with everything, all the time, with no questions asked. When SSEC moved buildings during the pandemic, Hannah volunteered to organize the entire move, ensuring it stayed operational. Whether its navigating Smithsonian’s complex processes, managing the back end of the website, creating new systems to track staff time and projects, or juggling multiple contracts, Hannah rises to every challenge. She is one of the first to volunteer for public-facing events such as Take Your Child to Work Day and has represented the Smithsonian proudly, like when she supported the Under Secretary of Education at the White House’s “Hallo-Read” event, in costume. Her colleagues often say that if “work flows toward competence,” that’s why Hannah is constantly in demand. Her deep institutional knowledge means you’ll often hear, “Hannah will know,” or “Ask Hannah.” There’s a good chance that if you’re hearing this, you’ve already been helped, directly or indirectly, by her work.

Ann Marie Rucker

Training Instructor | Office of Protection Services

Ann Rucker serves the Office of Protection Services with honor, service, integrity—and humility. Her colleagues say she puts the mission and vision first and is consistently dependable, dedicated, and reliable while representing the Smithsonian. She is determined to grow in her professional development, taking on new challenging roles such as serving as the Liaison Officer for New York Security Units and researching remote training sites for their officers. Among her many accomplishments, she has ensured 100% accountability of over 600 handguns and other assets, innovated training methods and instruction, and offered her expertise with grace and courtesy.

George Nassiopolous

IT | Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

George manages the storage environments at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. And over the past year, he has achieved remarkable milestones, including executing disk expansions, consolidating data, and decommissioning outdated systems with minimal disruption. His proactive approach to implementing critical firmware updates and maintaining rigorous data security measures through disk sanitization and encryption has been invaluable to his colleagues.

In addition to these achievements, George has made significant contributions to scientific computing by supporting security compliance, system patching, and software installations. His work over the past year is just a glimpse of his 40-year career, during which he has consistently demonstrated his worthiness for recognition.

Congratulations to all our Unsung Heroes!

Relive the highlights

We can’t caption these photos, so look through the gallery for images to share with friends and family. (All photos are by Jaclyn Nash)