Donna Hayashi Smith Named White House Curator

Donna Hayashi Smith has been named the ninth curator of the White House, marking her as the first Asian American to achieve this role. A graduate in Art History from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Smith hails from Wahiawa, Hawaii. She began her tenure with the White House's Executive Residence Office of the Curator in 1995 and took on the role of acting curator following Lydia Tederick's retirement. Prior to this, she was the associate curator of collections and registrar, managing over 60,000 items in the White House Collection. First Lady Jill Biden commended Smith's extensive experience across five administrations and her deep knowledge of the White House's heritage, highlighting their mutual goal of enhancing visitor access and preserving its living history.