Lonnie Bunch III (born November 18, 1952) is a prominent American historian and educator who made history as the first African American and first historian to serve as the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. He held this prestigious role from 2021 until his resignation on September 8, 2026, which came amid disputes with the White House over how to present U.S. history. Prior to this, Bunch was the founding director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) from 2005 to 2019, where he designed traveling exhibitions and public events before the museum's physical opening. His earlier career included serving as the first curator at the California African American Museum, a curator at the National Museum of American History, and president of the Chicago History Museum from 2000 to 2005. Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, as the only African American family in his neighborhood, Bunch earned his degrees from American University and was inspired to study history by a desire to give voice to the "anonymous" figures often left out of historical narratives. He also served on the Commission for the Preservation of the White House under two presidents and was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2020.