Tsione Wolde-Michael
Tsione Wolde-Michael is the Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) – a federal advisory commission charged with providing recommendations to the President of the United States on cultural policy. In collaboration with PCAH’s Honorary Chair First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Co-Chairs Bruce Cohen and Lady Gaga, Wolde-Michael creates opportunities to support and engage the nation’s artists, humanities scholars, and cultural heritage practitioners to promote excellence in the U.S. cultural sector.
Wolde-Michael is an experienced arts administrator, historian, curator, and thought leader with 15 years committed to merging public service and social justice. Her extensive work in the field of arts and public humanities has focused on developing innovative approaches to community engagement, collections management, cultural heritage stewardship, and exhibitions.
Prior to PCAH, Wolde-Michael served as the founding Director for the Center for Restorative History (CRH) at the National Museum of American History (NMAH) – the Smithsonian’s first center devoted exclusively to community-based redress. At CRH, Wolde-Michael established a new theory and methodology for community-engaged museum work through the lens of restorative justice and created the Smithsonian’s first-ever Tactical Plan for Decolonization of museum-wide collections and exhibitions as part of NMAH’s 2020-2030 strategic plan. Additionally, she created the first long-term internship program at any museum in the country for formerly incarcerated adults who pursued college in Maryland state prisons.
Wolde-Michael started her career in public history in 2011 at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), where she worked to create inaugural exhibitions including the landmark Slavery and Freedom exhibition. At NMAAHC, she also managed archaeology and heritage work for the museum’s largest international program—the Slave Wrecks Project—including curatorial content, research design, exhibition development, and community engagement across five countries.
Her international projects in Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, Ireland, and the United Kingdom have focused on collaborating with local art and history museums to reinterpret colonial collections. Wolde-Michael has been selected for numerous awards and fellowships in recognition of this work, including from the Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the Department of Education, and the Aspen Institute among others.
Wolde-Michael's experience extends to digital media and online exhibitions, curating visual art, writing for academic publications, teaching, and lecturing around the country. She holds a B.A. in Women and Gender Studies and Political Science from Macalester College and a M.A. in History from Harvard University.