Lonnie G. Bunch III is the14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum complex. Prior to assuming this position in June 2019, Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. In this position he provided strategic leadership in areas of fundraising, collections, and academic and cultural partnerships. As a public historian, Bunch has spent nearly 30 years in the museum field and is one of the nation’s leading figures in the historical and museum community. Bunch previously served as the president of the Chicago Historical Society. Bunch has held several positions at the Smithsonian, and spent a number of years at both the National Museum of American History and the National Air and Space Museum. A prolific and widely published author, Bunch has written on topics ranging from slavery, the Black military experience, the American presidency, and all Black towns in the American west to diversity in museum management and the impact of funding and politics on American museums. Born in the Newark, NJ area, Bunch has held numerous teaching positions across the country.