Smithsonian Campaign

The Smithsonian Campaign’s honorary committee is a group of distinguished Americans who have made significant contributions to the fields of art, culture, technology, politics, sports and science. The committee sets the tone for the Smithsonian Campaign and is instrumental in building the campaign’s visibility and success over the next five years.

Honorary Chairs

• President and Mrs. George W. Bush
• President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

Members

• The Honorable Ben Nighthorse Campbell—Senator from Colorado (1993–2005) and Native American leader
• Renée Fleming—opera singer and soprano performing in styles from classical to rock; the first opera singer to perform at the Super Bowl (2014) 
• Mia Hamm—retired soccer player, forward for the U.S. women’s national soccer team; Olympic gold medal winner; founding member of the Washington Freedom soccer team
• Mellody Hobson—business executive, TV financial commentator, philanthropist; president of Ariel Investments LLC and chair of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
• Michael Krzyzewski—Duke University basketball coach since 1980 and coach of the U.S. men’s national basketball team, which won gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics
• Robert Langer—MIT professor, engineer, biotechnology pioneer and inventor; founded more than 25 companies and holds more than 1,000 patents
• Ralph Lauren—fashion designer and founder of Ralph Lauren Corp., which owns the Polo brand, and philanthropist
• Eva Longoria—film and TV actress, producer, director, activist, businesswoman and philanthropist
• Capt. James A. Lovell, USN (Ret.)—former NASA astronaut; member of Apollo 8 crew and commander of Apollo 13
• George Lucas—film director, screenwriter and producer; created Star Wars and Indiana Jones films; nominated for four Academy Awards
• Yo-Yo Ma—cellist, performing in styles from classical to bluegrass, winner of 16 Grammy Awards; has recorded more than 75 albums
• Arnold Palmer—golfer who has won 92 professional titles; he has won seven major championships, including four Masters and two British Opens; 2012 Congressional Gold Medal recipient
• Cal Ripken Jr.—former Baltimore Orioles shortstop and third baseman, businessman, record holder for most consecutive games played, member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
• Condoleezza Rice—U.S. Secretary of State (2005–2009), political scientist, presidential advisor and diplomat
• Eric Schmidt—CEO of Google (2001–2011), business leader, software engineer and philanthropist
• Edward O. Wilson—biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist, author, environmental advocate; known as “the father of biodiversity”

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SI-477B-2014