Director, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC)

The client seeks a Director to lead the organization and advance its strategic plan, including building a sustained public-facing program presence on the National Mall and developing collaborative projects with museums nationwide. This role will develop and implement a compelling vision for content delivery and public engagement, requiring strong leadership, effective team management, and the ability to secure necessary resources, including philanthropic support. The Director represents the client externally, builds confidence in its capabilities, and raises its profile as a distinctive national resource for programming. The primary responsibility is to enhance public understanding of the heritage of Asian and Pacific Island Americans and their historical and contemporary contributions to the American experience, world cultures, and humanity’s relationship to the natural world. The Director will lead efforts toward establishing a dedicated space on the National Mall to feature the stories of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders as reflected across all Smithsonian collections. The Director will elevate the AANHPI experience through initiatives and dynamic programming, supporting inclusive engagement that reflects the interconnectedness of diverse communities and their contributions to American life. The client’s work includes exhibitions and education initiatives that celebrate AANHPI cultures, histories, and artistic productions, and the Director will support continued progress in those areas. The role includes significant responsibility for fundraising toward long-term financial stability and ongoing initiatives, including efforts related to a dedicated gallery on the National Mall and endowing leadership and education roles; funding sources may include corporations, foundations, and individual donors. The Director is expected to have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in an applicable subject-matter field and senior-level professional leadership experience within a museum, cultural institution, or educational environment, with experience relevant to public programs, curated exhibitions, documentary collections, scholarly research, policy work, or cultural entrepreneurship or development; an advanced degree is highly desirable. Confidential