Smithsonian chief Lonnie G. Bunch III resigns

NPR | By Andrew Limbong

Published September 8, 2026 at 1:34 PM EDT

Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, who resigned as head of the Smithsonian Institution Tuesday, makes remarks at an opening ceremony introducing the public to the new giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, at the National Zoo on Jan 24, 2025.

Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, is stepping down from his post at the end of the year.

"It is with very mixed emotions and heartfelt gratitude that I announce my retirement," Bunch wrote in a statement. "I leave with pride and sadness, gratitude and joy, and with enormous confidence in the people who will carry this remarkable institution forward."

The Smithsonian Institution — which includes dozens of museums, libraries, research centers, and the National Zoo — has been a frequent target of criticism by President Trump. In August 2025, Trump called for a "comprehensive internal review" of eight Smithsonian museums, and directed them to "celebrate American exceptionalism." In July 2026, the Trump administration issued a report accusing the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History of "extreme political activism."

Bunch defended the museum internally. "At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America's story," he wrote in an email to his staff in July, obtained by NPR.

In an interview with The New York Times, Bunch said he was not leaving due to pressure. "It was really just saying, now's the time," he said.

Bunch, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian, has had a long career in museums, including four decades at the Smithsonian. In 2005, he became the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. There, he oversaw the conception and construction of the museum's building on the National Mall, which opened in September 2016.

In 2019, Bunch was named secretary of the Smithsonian, becoming the first historian and the first African American to hold the position. There he pushed forward plans for two museums – the Smithsonian American Women's History Museum and the National Museum of the American Latino, and he has been leading the institution's fundraising efforts.

The institution's Board of Regents have yet to name an acting chief, but have announced the beginning of a national search for a new secretary.