Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1152980
B M & T ••• July/August 2019 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 16 The Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents elected Lonnie G. Bunch III, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian, effective June 16. Bunch is the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened in September 2016. He oversees the nation's largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American story and its impact on American and world his- tory. Bunch's election is unprecedented for the Smithsonian: He will be the first African-American to lead the Smithsonian, and the first historian elected Secretary. In addition, he will be the first museum director to ascend to Secretary in 74 years. "Lonnie Bunch guided, from concept to completion, the complex effort to build the premier museum celebrating African American achievements," said John G. Roberts, Jr., Smithsonian Chancellor and Chief Justice of the United States. "I look forward to working with him as we approach the Smithsonian's 175th anniversary, to increase its rele- vance and role as a beloved American institu- tion and public trust." Bunch, a public histori- an, has spent more than 35 years in the museum field, where he is regarded as one of the nation's leading figures in the historical and museum community. He and the Board of Regents are committed to driving forward the pri- orities and direction of the Smithsonian's 2022 strategic plan. "I am humbled and honored to become the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution," Bunch said. "I am excited to work with the Board of Regents and my col- leagues throughout the Institution to build upon its legacy and to ensure that the Smithsonian will be even more rele- vant and more meaningful and reach more people in the future." The Regents' 11-member search committee was co-led by Board Chair David Rubenstein and Board Vice Chair Steve Case. "Lonnie is a deeply respected scholar, educator and SMITHSONIAN REGENTS NAME LONNIE BUNCH 14TH SMITHSONIAN SECRETARY LONNIE G. BUNCH III African American Smithsonian Museum