With Lonnie Bunch set to retire at the end of the year, the Smithsonian Institution’s next secretary will face difficult challenges, according to a Georgetown University historian.
Bunch, who has led the Smithsonian since 2019, announced this week that he will step down as secretary after clashes with the Trump administration, including criticism from the White House over how Smithsonian museums portray U.S. history.
“I don’t envy the poor soul,” Chandra Manning, a Georgetown University history professor and co-founder of Citizen Historians for the Smithsonian, told WTOP.
“But what I think right now, what do I think is absolutely most important? I think somebody who will commit unswervingly to the ongoing independence of the Smithsonian Institution.”
Manning said the Smithsonian also needs a visionary leader who can guide the institution’s future growth and outreach efforts.
“But I think if the picture looks like it does right now, then priority number one will, in fact, need to be defense and safeguarding, at least for the time being,” she said.
Manning said she has no insight into who might replace Bunch but hopes the next secretary shares some of his key qualities.
“[The Smithsonian] currently enjoys the status as one of the most respected, if not the most respected, museum complex in the world,” she said. “If a person coming into this role doesn’t maintain the commitment to the institution’s independence and to its founding mission of the diffusion of knowledge for the common good, I’m not sure it can retain that status.”
She also said the next leader should bring a calm temperament, scholarly credibility and strong management skills to oversee the Smithsonian’s museums, research centers and other operations.
“And I hope it’s somebody with a bit of savvy who can read the tea leaves a little bit,” Manning said. “One of the things that Secretary Bunch has been quite good at is discerning between the times when it was very important to firmly and publicly hold the line, and when there were fights that were better left unfought or fought quietly.”
WTOP’s Mike Murillo contributed to this report.
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