White House Appoints Donna Hayashi Smith Curator

TheWhite Houseon May 2 announced Donna Hayashi Smith as its new curator. She is the first Asian American to occupy the role. Hayashi Smith has been serving as acting curator since last year, following the retirement of her predecessor, Lydia Tederick. In her new capacity, she will oversee the more than 60,000 objects in the White House collection, ranging from presidential portraits to furniture to china.

“Donna Hayashi Smith brings years of experience to this position, along with unique perspectives from serving under five administrations. She understands the history and legacy of the White House, as well as the intricate inner workings of the building itself,” said First Lady Jill Biden in a statement. “I look forward to continuing our work together to preserve the White House’s living history, increasing opportunities for Americans to see themselves reflected here, and making the ‘People’s House’ more accessible to the millions of people who visit our nation’s capital each year.”

The Wahiawa, Hawaii–born Hayashi Smith arrived to the Executive Residence Office of the Curator in 1995 as administrative and collections assistant, rising to become the White House collections manager and registrar and, most recently, associate curator of the collections and registrar. In 2022, she led the Office of the Curator through its American Alliance of Museums reaccreditation, ensuring that the White House continues to be recognized nationally as an accredited museum. Hayashi Smith began her career in 1991 as a museum aide at the National Museum of American Art in Washington, DC, following a Smithsonian Institution minority fellowship at the National Museum of American History in the same city. She holds a BA in art history from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and an MA in museum studies from George Washington University.