Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.
FUNDING
Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) was awarded a $4,000 grant from Humanities Nebraska to help support an exhibit of Aksarben gowns.
Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN)) was awarded a $50,000 grant from the Indiana Destination Development Corporation. The funding will redefine how visitors view and use the Museum Experience Center through immersive and interactive experiences. The project includes Wellspring, which combines artwork and a playscape; two permanent galleries; and a changing gallery.
Peoria Riverfront Museum (Peoria, IL) received a $200,000 digital accelerator grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies, to complete a redesign and overhaul of the museum’s website.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Science Museum Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) received the Mayor’s Award for its sustainability features, including grounds’ pollinator areas, composting program, water reuse system, recycling efforts and more. Oklahoma City Beautiful Distinguished Service Awards recognize businesses, organizations and individuals who have helped improve the beauty and environmental health of Oklahoma City.
Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, published by the South Dakota State Historical Society (Pierre, SD), has won the prestigious 2025 Spur Award for Best Western Children’s Picture Book, presented by the Western Writers of America. The Western Writers of America annually presents the Spur Awards to recognize distinguished writing about the American West. Georgia Jipp: Blizzard Pilot, written by Laura Beth Dean and illustrated by Jeanne Bowman, tells the true story of Georgia Hoyt Jipp and the courageous missions she flew to deliver aid during the historic winter storms of 1949.
LEADERSHIP
Ellen Noël Art Museum (Odessa, TX) named Nicole Herden as its new Executive Director. Herden is an accomplished museum executive with over 20 years of experience in leadership, curatorial practice, and institutional transformation.
Natalie Wimberly (left) and Jennifer Brundage (right)
It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later
Long-time Affiliations team members Jennifer Brundage and Natalie Wimberly have accepted new positions within the Smithsonian and will soon be embarking on the next phase of their careers. We sat down with them to ask a few questions and have them reflect on their time with Smithsonian Affiliations. Here’s the full interview and some fun photos from the past decade (or more!).
Tell us about your new role…
Natalie: I’m excited to be stepping into the role of Administrative Management Specialist at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in the Repatriation Office. It’s quite the shift — from working closely with educational programs and community partnerships to supporting science-focused initiatives — but I’m looking forward to the challenge. Plus, who wouldn’t want to work near dinosaurs?
Natalie Wimberly and Penne Kirkpatrick leading a session at the 2024 Affiliate Directors’ Summit in Washington, D.C.
Jennifer: I will be co-leading the initiative to cultivate Regional Collaboratives within the Office of the Undersecretary for Education (OUSE), which will kick off in 2026 for the U.S. semiquincentennial. The challenge is to weave together the Institution’s many national partnerships and co-create sustainable collaborative frameworks with them that will mark new ways for the Smithsonian to be in service to communities for the next 250 years.
What will you miss about Affiliations?
Jennifer Brundage on one of her many visits to Affiliates. Here she’s at the Senator Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
Jennifer: Well…I won’t say ‘miss’ per se, because we already know how crucial Affiliates are to this new initiative. Working in Affiliations has taught me again and again about the power of relationships built on trust, candor and authenticity. I will bring that spirit of camaraderie and collaboration with me as our networks expand and intertwine. I also love when lines blur between professional and personal relationships. I feel lucky that so many Affiliate colleagues feel comfortable texting me, coming over to my place for dinner, cycling or sailing together and more. So many Affiliate colleagues are dear friends as well, and I’m grateful those bonds can continue. My email address and cell number remain the same!
Natalie: Oh, where do I start? I’ll definitely miss the day-to-day work of managing the membership program, handling procurement tasks by issuing funds to Affiliates for their program participation, and creating those annual Affiliate fee invoices (yes, even that!). But most of all, I’ll miss the incredible connections I’ve made with my colleagues and our Affiliate partners. Working alongside such passionate people has been the heart of my Affiliations experience.
Natalie Wimberly at the National Museum of American History during a Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference.
How do you hope to stay connected with Affiliations?
Natalie: I’m not venturing far — just a short walk across the National Mall — and I absolutely plan to stay connected. Whether it’s possibly collaborating on future projects, or perhaps exploring ways NMNH Human Dignity Team can engage with Affiliates, or just catching up at the next conference, I’m excited to keep those connections strong.
Jennifer: Luckily, my new desk is only 4 floors away from the Affiliations team, in the same building! As the Secretary always says, the Smithsonian’s greatest asset is its people. So true! And I maintain that the staff of Affiliations is a truly exceptional standout at the Institution. Their passion, work ethic, integrity, teamwork and relationship skills are second to none (and I’ve been here a loooong time.) I may be in another office, but I expect to see them all frequently in meetings and on the road, as we together craft an infrastructure of expanded outreach across the country.
Nicole Bryner will be transitioning back into the National Outreach Manager role and supporting the Affiliates in Jennifer’s portfolio. While we determine who the contact will be for Natalie’s projects—Affiliate Membership Program and invoicing—please email your National Outreach Manager or affiliates@si.edu. While we are sad to see Jennifer and Natalie go, we hope you’ll join us in wishing them luck in their new roles. See you soon, Jennifer and Natalie!
The Affiliations team in 2023. A small, but mighty team working hard on behalf of our Affiliate and Smithsonian colleagues to share their work nationwide.
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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.
FUNDING
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (Denver, CO) received a $20 million gift from the Sturm Family Foundation to launch a new East Wing Project to rejuvenate their historic theater, lobby and plaza.
Nebraska Tourism awarded a $10,710 grant to the Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) as part of the application cycle of the Community Impact and Visit Nebraska Marketing Grant programs. The funding will be used for the Image Library, Website & Advertising Expansion project.
Union Station, Kansas City, Inc. (Kansas City, MO) received a grant of $20,000 from Bayer Fund. The grant will be used towards building a better future by helping provide scholarships for local students to visit both Science City and the Arvin Gottlieb Planetarium. The program is for students in grades K-12 at public or charter schools in the Kansas City metro area, including Jackson, Johnson, Wyandotte, and Clay counties as well as non-profit community groups that serve individuals from historically underrepresented communities.
Conner Prairie (Fishers, IN) received a $2.5 million grant through Lilly Endowment’s Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative. The grant will support the Lenape Connection & Kinship on the White River project, which aims to amplify the voices of the Lenape people, honoring their cultural heritage, history and traditions.
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA) was awarded an Inspire Iowa Cultural Tourism Grant award of $50,000 in support of the summer 2025 traveling exhibit, Ice Dinosaurs: The Lost World of the Alaskan Arctic. Funding will support this new traveling exhibit, in addition to educational programming and a correlated regional marketing campaign designed to attract significant tourism to the River Museum and the region.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Newsweek USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards were recently announced and featured Affiliates in the following categories:
Booth Western Art Museum (Cartersville, GA) and Tellus Science Museum (Cartersville, GA), were recognized for their contributions to the museum industry at the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference. The awards highlight both museums’ dedication to innovation, accessibility, and education.
Booth Western Art Museum received a multimedia award for its bilingual digital tour. The museum developed a low-cost, web-based tour that delivers an engaging, bilingual experience and provides greater accessibility for the region’s Spanish-speaking community, which makes up over 13% of the local population.
Tellus Science Museum’s annual summer internship program was honored with Georgia Association of Museums’ Student Project Award for developing a new Solar System Traveling Trunk program. The portable educational resource aligns with Georgia’s state science curriculum and provides interactive lessons for students suitable for a wide range of grade levels.
The travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler recently published a list of the 51 best museums in the United States, which included the following Affiliates:
Michelle Larson, CEO of the Adler Planetarium (Chicago, IL), announced she is stepping down to become president of Clarkson University in upstate New York. The planetarium’s chief financial officer, Audris Wong, has been tapped as interim CEO while the board of trustees undertakes the process of hiring a permanent replacement for Larson.
Nicole Harvey, a longtime employee of the Oklahoma Historical Society, has been named the next director of the Oklahoma History Center Museum (Oklahoma City, OK) after serving as interim director.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums (Plymouth, MA) announced Executive Director, Ellie Donovan, is retiring from the Museum this year. Donovan has held several positions at the Museum, serving as Executive Director for the last 16 years. The trustees of the museum added Deputy Director of Research and Public Engagement, Tom Begley, will assume the role of Executive Director following Donovan’s departure.
https://affiliations.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/si_Affiliations_rgb_single-line_color-280w-1.jpg00GlavasChttps://affiliations.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/si_Affiliations_rgb_single-line_color-280w-1.jpgGlavasC2025-03-25 08:23:482025-04-07 11:27:10Kudos Affiliates! Spring 2025 Edition
One of the benefits of being a Smithsonian Affiliate is the access to Smithsonian scholarship and its scholars. In 2025 we are reviving our “Five Questions With…” series to introduce our Smithsonian Affiliate network to the incredible staff working hard for the “increase and diffusion of knowledge” at the Smithsonian.
In this post, we interviewed Alexandra Lord, chair of the Division of Medicine and Science at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and asked her to share what inspires her about her work and how she hopes to connect with communities in 2025.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you got to the Smithsonian. I became interested in the history of medicine even before I knew there was such a thing! As a kid, I loved books like The Secret Garden, Little Women, and the Little House books but I was really puzzled by all the references to diseases I had never heard of such as cholera, tuberculosis, and scarlet fever. In college and then in grad school, I opted to study how people in the past experienced illnesses and how physicians and nurses cared for patients before they understood how diseases spread.
After grad school I became the historian for the U.S. Public Health Service (2001). While working at the PHS, I became really interested in preservation—in part because the hospitals on Ellis Island, which are linked to the Public Health Service, were being renovated. And so, in 2008, I applied to become the Branch Chief for the National Historic Landmarks Program, the National Park Service’s premier preservation program. I loved working with local communities to preserve their historic and archaeological sites. But in 2015, after I had been at the Park Service for 7 years, the Smithsonian advertised for a historian to oversee their history of medicine and science collections. The opportunity to work with the Smithsonian’s amazing history of medicine collections made me realize how much I had missed the opportunity to focus on the history of medicine. I’ve been here ever since, and I have yet to grow tired of exploring our collections!
Ramses Condom, 1930s. Julius Schmid worked in a sausage factory before deciding to begin marketing condoms. By the 1930s, his company, which produced these condoms, dominated the market and he was called “The Condom King.”
Why is your area of interest important? In a time when we are very divided, one thing unites us: we all know what it’s like to be sick. But while being ill is one of the most universal human experiences, we rarely ever think about what it was like to be sick in the past—before vaccination, before antibiotics, and before we even understood how diseases spread. This may be because when we are sick, we tend to be too miserable to think about the past! But epidemics and diseases have shaped the outcomes of wars, immigration policies, politics, our workplaces and, much more importantly, our families. Today, we live in a world in which diseases are heavily controlled and contained so it’s easy to forget how diseases shaped the past. But, as we saw with the COVID-19 pandemic, diseases still pose a threat. Understanding how people responded to diseases and epidemics is key to understanding not only our past but also our present and future.
What inspires you, excites and challenges you about your job or department? The National Museum of American History has over 100,000 objects related to the history of medicine and science. Our collections range from an 18th-century obstetrical kit to 19th-century patent medicines to 20th-century artificial hearts. Caring for, and adding to, this collection is an ongoing struggle. Like all museums, we don’t have enough storage space, so we think very carefully about what we are collecting—and we need to periodically review what we have collected. It’s a difficult challenge but an interesting one as it pushes us to explore and think deeply about the material culture around medicine and the people who have used these objects.
Face Shield (COVID-19) Pamela Mossinghoff Tures, a glass artist in Virginia, designed and made this “Fish Tank” plastic shield face mask. She created the mask as part of a contest for the “best mask” at a conference she attended in Florida in May of 2021. Her “Fish Tank” mask, which she said reflects the confined nature of quarantines, won.
Tell us about something in your recent work you are particularly proud of and why. During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, we asked people across the country to contact us and share their pandemic stories. We also asked them to tell us what they thought we should collect to document this story. We got a huge response (we are still receiving responses!). Many Affiliates worked with us, both in thinking about how we should collect and how we should tell this story. Working together with Affiliate museums enabled us to ensure that objects went to the best homes, whether that was the American History Museum or an Affiliate organization. We especially loved working with Affiliates on our Pandemic Perspectives virtual programming. These programs ranged from the light-hearted (“How to Look Good on a Zoom Call,” for example, highlighted historic make-up and personal care products) to the more serious (“Race and Place” which explored the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793). Our audience especially loved the program we did which highlighted how several Affiliate museums were collecting around the pandemic. We loved it, too, because we learned a lot about how museums were thinking about this work across the country.
Sphagnum Moss Mustrual Pad, c. 1920s. During World War I, nurses and physicians discovered that sphagnum moss was especially effective at absorbing blood. In the wake of the war, Sfag-Na-Kins began using sphagnum moss to create and market disposable menstrual pads. While Sfag-Na-Kins did not achieve market dominance, the idea of replacing cloth menstrual rags with disposable pads became widespread in the 20th century.
We are always looking to share people and resources with our Affiliate network, what would you like to share with them or what specifically would you love to talk about in a speaking program hosted by an Affiliate? I love to share our collections and their stories. I’m especially interested in speaking to and hearing from audiences across the country about their experiences with the stories listed below:
Sex Education/Reproductive Health: Why has sex education been so controversial since its beginnings in the 1890s? How has the battle over birth control as well as the fight to contain sexually transmitted diseases shaped American culture and history?
Women’s Health: Why have issues related to women’s health been neglected? How have changing ideas about women shaped the practice of medicine?
Infectious Diseases/Vaccines: How do we experience infectious diseases differently from our ancestors? Why has vaccination been so controversial?
Collecting Around COVID-19: How will we tell the story of COVID-19? In 2020, the National Museum of American History issued a call to Americans to hear their stories about the pandemic. We are still collecting around this story, and we would love to engage in a discussion about this with Americans across the country.
Mourning Rituals: Why were the Victorians so obsessed with death? How did changing ideas about religion and science, along with new technologies, change how nineteenth-century Americans understood death?
Thank you to Alexandra for sharing a little about her work with us. As Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III said in a recent Smithsonian magazine article, “One of the reasons I agreed to become Secretary years ago was because of my profound respect for the amazing work of my colleagues.” The Smithsonian “is a collection of amazing people who do work that sometimes is not understood, sometimes that is undervalued, but it’s work that as Secretary, I see as essential to a nation understanding itself.” We hope you enjoyed meeting one of these amazing people and hope you’ll stay tuned for more Five Questions With… interviews this year.
If you are a Smithsonian Affiliate interested in inviting Alexandra to your neighborhood this year, please fill out this Speaker Interest Form and an Affiliations team member will be in touch to discuss in more detail.
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Kudos to these Affiliates on their recent accomplishments! Do you have kudos to share? Please send potential entries to Aaron Glavas, GlavasC@si.edu.
FUNDING
The Indiana Historical Society (Indianapolis, IN) announced it is the recipient of a more than $48,000 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for the U.S.’ 250th anniversary in Indiana. The grant will allow IHS to develop an interpretive framework and resource list that connects Indiana history to the nation’s founding principles. The framework is designed to encourage conversations about America’s past, present and future and its progress. The project will be developed with input from a wide range of Indiana residents and organizations, including those from marginalized and under-represented communities.
The Durham Museum (Omaha, NE) was one of several Nebraska organizations to receive part of a $200,000 Google donation to support community programs for Nebraskans. The Durham Museum will use the funding to support a student outreach initiative that will engage students and educators through virtual field trips, on-site field trips and other activities.
LEADERSHIP
The Board of Commissioners of the Saint Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO) announced Dr. Ray Vandiver will succeed Todd Bastean as president and CEO of the organization. With more than three decades of experience leading science centers and museums, Vandiver joins the Science Center from the Discovery Lab in Tulsa, OK, where he served as the founding executive director for over 12 years. Vandiver will assume leadership of the Science Center on February 28, 2025.
The Witte Museum (San Antonio, TX) Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Dr. Michelle Cuellar Everidge as CEO & president, beginning February 1, 2025. Rooted in San Antonio with a significant tenure at the Witte Museum, Dr. Everidge brings a unique combination of institutional knowledge, community connection and visionary leadership to this role. She succeeds Dirk Elmendorf, who stepped in as a transitional leader following the transformative legacy of Marise McDermott’s remarkable 20-year tenure.
The National Jazz Museum in Harlem (New York, NY) shared Executive Director Tracy Hyter-Suffern will step down from her position on January 31, 2025. Tracy’s departure caps seven years of Tracy’s leadership, during which the Museum has celebrated a period of extraordinary growth and transformation and has reinforced its position as a leading cultural, educational and civic organization in the Harlem community, in New York City and worldwide. Susheel Kurien, who is deeply steeped in jazz, will serve as interim executive director until a permanent replacement is hired.
C.J. Roberts, president and chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay History Center (Tampa, FL) has agreed to lead North Carolina’s statewide network of history museums. Roberts will oversee eight museums, including the flagship North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh, NC). The center’s board of trustees will conduct a nationwide search for Roberts’ successor.
The Museum of Sonoma County (Santa Rosa, CA) announced the appointment of Karen Wise as its new executive director. With a proven track record in museum leadership, community engagement, and strategic growth, Wise brings a wealth of experience to this vital role as the Museum enters its 40th anniversary year.
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It was an exciting year for collaboration and inspiration in so many communities! With the help of our Smithsonian Affiliates (find the Affiliate directory here), we brought the Smithsonian to communities across the country for an incredible year of collaboration, learning, and inspiration. Our Smithsonian Affiliates help connect Smithsonian initiatives with their local communities to help address many of the challenges we face. Our Affiliates are doing important and necessary work every day, and collaborating with the Smithsonian amplifies this incredible work. Here are a few highlights of Smithsonian-Affiliate engagements from 2024.
2024, An Affiliate Recap by Smithsonian Affiliations
High school Learning Center students and coordinator, Rockwell Museum educator and Smithsonian educators. The Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY.
National Youth Summits and the Youth Leadership Team
Since 2011, the National Museum of American History has collaborated with Smithsonian Affiliates to engage teens nationwide in the National Youth Summit program. Affiliate organizations serve as Regional Summits using content from the American History Museum and their own resources to engage local middle and high school students in discussions grounded in history and connected to current issues. In September 2024, a group of nine diverse Smithsonian Affiliates participated in the 2024 Summit exploring Elections & Politics.
Four Affiliates—Arab American National Museum (Dearborn, MI), The Rockwell Museum (Corning, NY), International Museum of Art and Science (McAllen, TX), and Japanese American National Museum (Los Angeles, CA)—were part of a pilot Youth Leadership Team. This project, funded by a Smithsonian Together We Thrive grant, aimed to enhance teen advocacy and agency in the Summits. The goal was to center youth voices in the planning and development of Summit programming. Twelve teenagers were recruited to discuss democracy, social justice and national issues faced by teens today. Throughout the planning, students met with Smithsonian and Affiliate staff virtually and traveled to Washington, D.C., in August to meet with Smithsonian experts and fellow team members.
Since 2011, the National Museum of American History has collaborated with Smithsonian Affiliates to engage teens nationwide in the National Youth Summit program. Affiliate organizations serve as Regional Summits using content from the American History Museum and their own resources to engage local middle and high school students in discussions grounded in history and connected to current issues. In September 2024, a group of nine diverse Smithsonian Affiliates participated in the 2024 Summit exploring Elections & Politics.
African American Craft Initiative
Courtesy City Lore
Three Affiliates —City Lore (New York, NY), Michigan State University Museum (East Lansing, MI), and Orange County Regional History Museum (Orlando, FL)—were selected to participate in the African American Craft Initiative. The project from the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage aims to expand the visibility of underrepresented elder African American artisans and safeguard their stories. The project is meant to build relationships among artists, elders, and youth within their local communities.
The Affiliate Learning Hub
In 2024 we launched the Learning Hub, which includes individual Learning Excursions that help Affiliate leadership and their teams think about their work today and into the future. These Excursions inspire Affiliates to continually think about ways they can work together and with the Smithsonian.
Affiliate staff can take a deeper dive into these Excursions:
Essentials: For new and existing Affiliates to take a deeper dive into community engagement, collaboration and relationship building, and more
Affiliate Stories: Modules to enhance your collaborative efforts, build leadership skills, and showcase your impact.
Tools for Action: Download reflection guides and toolkits to facilitate ongoing learning and skill development.
See Me at the Smithsonian Professional Development Training
Courtesy Access Smithsonian
In 2024, Access Smithsonian offered a hybrid professional development training series for the creation and implementation of programming for adults living with dementia and their care partners. Twenty-eight Smithsonian Affiliates were selected to participate. The training presented Affiliate staff with tools and strategies for adapting the See Me at the Smithsonian model at their organizations.
See Me at the Smithsonian has made it possible for people with dementia and their care partners to continue to enjoy Smithsonian museums, engage with the Smithsonian’s most beloved objects, sustain lifelong learning, and connect with and contribute to a larger community.
Participants of the 2024 Affiliate Directors’ Summit. Courtesy Jeremy Norwood for Smithsonian Affiliations
Affiliate Directors’ Summit
In November, the Smithsonian Affiliations team hosted its first in-person gathering for Affiliates since 2019. The Affiliate Directors’ Summit brought together 41 Affiliate leaders in Washington, D.C., to network with and learn from each other and Smithsonian leadership. Participants identified actionable strategies for new or enhanced collaborations that extend and deepen our collective impact. Prior to the in-person gathering, Affiliate leadership joined a special virtual meeting with Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G Bunch III.
In all, Affiliates were involved in more than 800 engagements with the Smithsonian during 2024. Thank you to the entire Smithsonian Affiliations team for your continued excellence in facilitating Affiliate-Smithsonian relationships and guiding so many collaborations from idea to implementation. We wish our Affiliate and Smithsonian colleagues a wonderful holiday season and look forward to 2025 collaborations!