Description: Adela Gómez, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, 1945-83, spent the majority of her years at the Smithsonian as a special administrative assistant to the director. In 1977, she was presented with the Smithsonian Institution Secretary’s Gold Medal for Exceptional Service. #Groundbreaker
Description: Each week, the Archives features a woman who has been a groundbreaker at the Smithsonian, past or present, in a series titled Wonderful Women Wednesday.
Description: Alice Green Burnette, Assistant Secretary for Institutional Initiatives, 1989–96, managed the $200 million campaign to build the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington and led marketing efforts for Smithsonian’s 150th anniversary programming. She initially arrived in 1988 as Deputy Assistant Secretary for External Affairs and Coordinator of Institutional