Lonnie Bunch III Set To Become Smithsonian Institution's First Black Secretary

A new pilot is set to take the helm at the Smithsonian Institution.

The organization, a public-private partnership that has established and maintains many of the best-known museums in the U.S., unveiled its next secretary at a news conference Tuesday: Lonnie G. Bunch III, the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, will take over the day-to-day administration of the Smithsonian's 19 museums, 21 libraries and the National Zoo — among other operations.

Bunch's selection, made by unanimous vote of the organization's 17-member Board of Regents, makes him the first African American to serve in the role of secretary in its 173-year history. He will take over for the outgoing secretary, David Skorton, in roughly three weeks.

Shortly after his name was announced, Bunch stepped to the lectern to reflect on just what this move means to him — and to acknowledge the "challenges that the institution faces during the next decade."

"But more importantly," he said, "I'm excited by the potential to meet those challenges."