Lonnie Bunch.
historian, 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Chief Bunch Plans 2026 Retirement Amid Dispute
Smithsonian secretary Lonnie Bunch III announced he will retire by year’s end, ending seven years at the helm amid sustained friction with the Trump administration over how the nation’s history is presented. He said the timing is his own and that the Smithsonian’s independence remains, even as critics, including a government report accusing the museum of radical activism, drew praise for his leadership from Chief Justice John Roberts.
Politics · 68 sources · Sep 10, 2026Read it
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About Lonnie Bunch
Lonnie Griffith Bunch III is an American educator and historian. Bunch is the fourteenth secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the first African American and first historian to serve as head of the Smithsonian. He has spent most of his career as a history museum curator and administrator.
Everything about Lonnie Bunch →- Occupation
- historian, pedagogue, curator
- Position held
- Secretary of the Smithsonian
- Citizenship
- United States
- Born
- November 18, 1952
- Website
- https://www.si.edu/about/secretary-lonnie-bunch