Board of Trustees
According to the American Folklife Center's founding legislation, the Center receives policy guidance from a Board of Trustees made up of representatives from departments and agencies of the federal government concerned with some aspect of American folklife traditions and the arts; the heads of four of the major federal institutions concerned with culture and the arts (see below); persons from private life who are able to provide regional balance; and the director of the Center. Included in the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1999, are provisions for the board to also include four members appointed by the Librarian of Congress, and, ex officio, the president of the American Folklore Society and the president of the Society for Ethnomusicology. The board regularly reviews the operations of the Center, engages in long-range planning and policy formulation, and shares information on matters of cultural programming.
Congressional Appointees
Anne Arrington
Anne Arrington worked as Associate Director for Policy in the Office of Gulf Coast Rebuilding and has served on the Board of Trustees for the Texas Tech University Museum of Art. A passion for music, art, and diverse cultures comes from a childhood in New Orleans, training in cultural anthropology, teaching English abroad, and from fifteen years living in the Southwest. She is married to Rep. Jodey Arrington, who represents Texas’ District 19 in Congress, with whom she has three children.
Jean Dorton
Jean Dorton has been a life-long proponent of the arts in her native Kentucky. She has served as a board member for various organizations, including the Kentucky Folk Art Museum, the Kentucky Arts Council, East Kentucky Concert Series, OperaLex, and the Apple Festival Arts and Crafts Board. She has also served as the Community and Legislative Liaison of Big Sandy Community and Technical College external link in Paintsville, Kentucky.
Amy Kitchener
Amy Kitchener co-founded the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) in 1997 and is its current executive director. ACTA's work has focused on social change through grantmaking, capacity and leadership development, technical assistance, and bilingual program development. Trained as a public folklorist with an MA from UCLA, Amy has piloted participatory cultural asset mapping in neglected and rural areas of the state and consults with other organizations and across sectors on this method of discovery and inclusion of community voices.
Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant is a musician, vocalist, and lyricist, who began her musical career with the pop band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981. Since 1994 she’s worked as a solo artist, recording originals and traditional songs inspired by archival collections. She has served on the New York State Council on the Arts, and has received numerous awards, including the Library Lion Award from the New York Public Library, the American Society of Authors Composers & Publishers Champion Award, and the John Lennon Real Love Award.
Heather Obernolte
Heather Obernolte serves as an advisor to the Big Bear School District in Southern California. Holding an MA in Child Psychology from Pepperdine University, she served as board member and Chairperson for DOVES (Domestic Violence Education and Services) and has been a member of the Hospital Foundation, Venture Club, Big Bear Mom’s Club. She is the President Elect of Soroptimist International of Big Bear Valley, California. She is married to Rep. Jay Obernolte, who represents California’s District 23 in Congress.
John Patrick Rice
John Patrick Rice is Producing Artistic Director and Professor at Great Basin College external link in Elko, Nevada. He has served as Chief Development Officer (2005–2015) for Great Basin College, and founded the theater program in 1996. He holds an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a PhD in Education from Capella University.
Robert Anacletus Underwood
A former member of the U.S. Congress, Robert Anacletus Underwood was the president of the University of Guam from 2008–2018. He has also served as a classroom teacher, curriculum writer, school administrator, Guam school board member, dean of the College of Education and academic vice president at the University of Guam. He is acknowledged as a leading authority on cultural, educational, and linguistic issues, as well as federal-territorial relations, in Guam and Micronesia.
Librarian Appointees
Martha Gonzalez
Martha Gonzalez is a 2022 MacArthur fellow and a Chicana "artivista" (artist/activist), who combines her passions as a musician, feminist scholar, and activist. Born in Los Angeles to Mexican immigrants, González teaches Chicano/a Latino/a studies at Scripps College external link. She has been a Fulbright Scholar (2007–2008), a Ford Fellow (2012–2013), a Woodrow Wilson Fellow (2016–2017), and a United States Artist Fellow (2020). Her academic interests have been fueled by her work as a vocalist, songwriter, and percussionist for the Grammy-award (2013) winning rock band Quetzal.
Heather L. Hodges
Heather L. Hodges is the director of external relations at the Historic New Orleans Collection external link--a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to preserving the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South. She was the executive director of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, a federal National Heritage Area, from 2017–2020. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Joyner Institute for Gullah Geechee and African Diaspora Studies at Coastal Carolina University.
Lori Pourier
Lori Pourier (Oglala Lakota) is the President of the First Peoples Fund external link (FPF) --an organization supporting Indigenous culture bearers, artists, youth, and community-based organizations located in tribal Nations. Under Ms. Pourier's leadership, FPF has directly supported nearly 5,000 Native cultural bearers and artists since 1999. Over her 28 years of work in the arts, social justice, and community development, Pourier has reconnected Native communities to their cultural assets and brought new philanthropic resources to Indigenous artists and culture bearers.
Ricky Punzalan
Ricky Punzalan is an Associate Professor in the School of Information and Director of the Museum Studies Program at the University of Michigan external link. Punzalan's research has raised the profile of critical challenges faced by underserved and Indigenous communities, while creating dialogues between communities and cultural institutions. He has held elected leadership posts in the Society of American Archivists and co-chairs the Archival Repatriation Committee of the Society of American Archivists.
Ex Officio Members
Library of Congress
Trustee(s): Dr. Carla Hayden (Librarian of Congress) and Nicole Saylor (Director, American Folklife Center)
Smithsonian Institution
Trustee(s): Lonnie G. Bunch III (Secretary)
National Endowment for the Arts
Trustee(s): Chair
National Endowment for the Humanities
Trustee(s): Chair
Institute for Museum and Library Services
Trustee(s): Director
Veterans Affairs
Trustee(s): Secretary
American Folklore Society
Trustee(s): Amy Skillman (President)
Society for Ethnomusicology
Trustee(s): Dr. Melvin Butler (President)
Trustees in this category represent leadership from a range of institutions and organizations (both federal and non-federal) poised to offer guidance or support for the Center’s activities.