Michael L. Chambers II
Associate Director, Special Projects
A visionary and innovative cultural leader who has built a 15 + year track record of incubating, developing, and executing high-quality programming, championing racial equity and inclusion, cultivating fruitful partnerships, donors, and deepening community engagement. Michael has led transformations across multiple organizations including museums, libraries, and cultural resource agencies.
Prior to joining the center, Michael was Chief of Partnerships at National Capital Parks – East, a unit of the National Park Service. Prior to this, he served as the Deputy Council Liaison and Gift Officer in the Director’s office at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2015, he founded Humanities in Public, a cultural consulting practice that works on a variety of projects with various institutions, including museums, universities, foundations, and research centers.
In 2020, Michael was the recipient of the Distinguished Young Alumni award for his significant accomplishments and impact in the Arts and Humanities sector by the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) his alma mater. Michael earned his BA in African American Studies from University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Michael is a Washington, DC native, avid museum patron and lover of jazz music.