Smithsonian exec who said DEI ‘must be at the center’ of institutions is raking in eye-popping salary
Fox News reports that Lonnie Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, received more than $4.4 million in salary and benefits between 2020 and 2024. The report links this compensation to renewed political scrutiny of the Smithsonian’s diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion policies and its exhibition choices.
Bunch has described DEI as integral to excellence in museum practice. The article says its calculation covers his base pay and additional benefits over five years, while also noting wider criticism from conservatives of Smithsonian displays they characterise as overly political.
- Smithsonian secretary earned over $4.4 million from 2020 to 2024.
- His DEI views have drawn renewed political scrutiny.
- Debate centres on compensation and museum programming.