Description: Anna R. Cohn, Director, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), 1988–2014, toured groundbreaking exhibitions across the United States. She joined the Smithsonian in 1983 as director of the international exhibition “The Precious Legacy” and later organized “Generations” for the S. Dillon Ripley Center’s International Gallery. #Groundbreaker
Description: Outgoing Director, Anne Van Camp, Smithsonian Institution Archives, developed economic models for long-term digital record preservation on NSF’s Task Force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access, and she greatly increased access to and stewardship of the Archives’ collections. #Groundbreaker
Description: Claudine K. Brown began her long career with Smithsonian as the Director of the African American History Project, 1990–1995, developing a program plan for the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Brown also served as Smithsonian’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Arts and Humanities, 1991-1995. She returned to the Smithsonian in 2010 as Assistant
Description: Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, Elizabeth MacMillan Director, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, became the first woman to ever lead the museum in 2019. She oversees more than 250 employees, a budget of $40 million, and 1.8 million objects. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Autumn-Lynn Harrison, Research Scientist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center since 2014, works with large marine vertebrates, including pinnipeds and seabirds. She is the Program Manager of the Migratory Connectivity Project, which aims to use technologies to track bird species throughout their annual cycle. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Betty Meggers, Director of the Latin American Archaeology Program, National Museum of Natural History, and her husband, Clifford Evans, were the first archaeologists to study ancient Amazonians and they revolutionized thinking about early human activity in the Amazon rainforest. #Groundbreaker
Description: Folklorist, visual artist, and curator, Dr. Diana Baird N’Diaye, Smithsonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, is a honorary professor at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and researches anthropology, folklore, fashion (dress), and visual art in Africa, the Caribbean, and the U.S. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. E. Carmen Ramos, Deputy Chief Curator and Curator of Latino Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, is tasked with expanding the museum’s collection of Latino art with an eye toward capturing the broad aesthetic and regional range of the field. #Groundbreaker
Description: Dr. Elizabeth Broun, Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Renwick Gallery, 1989–2016, oversaw major renovations, welcomed groundbreaking exhibitions, and diversified the museum’s collections. She served as the museum’s Chief Curator and Assistant Director, 1983–88. #Groundbreaker
Description: Cultural historian, Dr. Ellen Roney Hughes, National Museum of American History, was a nominating committee member for the Women's Sports Hall of Fame and procured Muhammad Ali's robe and gloves from his "Rumble in the Jungle" fight against George Foreman for the museum. #Groundbreaker
Description: Curator of Linguistics Dr. Gabriela Pérez Báez, Smithsonian's National Anthropological Archives, works to preserve endangered languages and tries to retain the research of pre-Columbian Zapotec languages within the Mexican community. #Groundbreaker
Description: Chief curator, Dr. Jacquelyn Days Serwer, Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), assembled the museum's art collection documenting 200 years of black visual expression. #Groundbreaker