“Derek said you worked at a museum.”
“He didn’t mention that I run it?” I finished gently. “No, he wouldn’t have mentioned that. He doesn’t actually know what I do here.”
Rebecca’s face moved through several expressions in quick succession — embarrassment, confusion, realization.
“You’re the executive director?”
“Yes. This is my primary responsibility.”
Tom Bradford, to his credit, recovered quickly. “Congresswoman, shall we begin the tour? Dr. Mitchell has generously set aside two hours for us.”
“Yes,” Rebecca said faintly. “Yes, of course.”
I led them through the museum, starting with the main exhibitions. I explained our mission — research, education, preservation of 145 million specimens and artifacts representing the natural and cultural history of our world. I showed them our research facilities, where hundreds of scientists conducted groundbreaking work in biology, geology, anthropology, and paleontology.
Rebecca asked intelligent questions. She was clearly well briefed on cultural policy issues, and despite her obvious discomfort, she engaged professionally with the material.
In the ocean hall, standing beneath the model of the North Atlantic right whale, I explained our role in climate-change research and public education.
“We’re not just a museum,” I said. “We’re a research institution. Our scientists publish over six hundred peer-reviewed papers annually. We advise Congress on environmental policy, cultural preservation, and scientific research funding.”
“Congress?” Rebecca repeated. “You advise Congress?”
“Yes. I’ve testified before the House Appropriations Committee three times in the past two years, most recently on the importance of funding for cultural diplomacy programs.”
Tom Bradford made a note on his tablet. “The congresswoman chairs the subcommittee on arts and culture. I’m surprised your testimony didn’t cross our desk.”
“It may have,” I said. “I testified as Dr. Mitchell, executive director. Not as Derek’s sister.”
Rebecca flinched.
We continued to the anthropology collections. I showed them artifacts from every continent, explained our repatriation programs for Indigenous cultural objects, discussed the ethical complexities of museum collections built during colonial periods.
“These are conversations the museum world is grappling with globally,” I said, “which is why the international museum directors summit is so important. We need to coordinate our approaches to decolonization, climate change, digital access, and cultural preservation.”
“The summit?” Rebecca asked. “That’s tomorrow night.”
“Yes. The opening reception is at the National Gallery, but we’re hosting several working sessions here over the following three days.”
“Fifty directors from thirty-two countries. And you’re coordinating this?”
“I’m the host director. Yes. I’ll be giving opening remarks and moderating two of the panel discussions.”
We walked through the butterfly pavilion, the Hall of Fossils, the human origins exhibit. At each stop, I explained not just what visitors saw, but the research behind it, the educational programming, the community outreach, the digital initiatives that brought our collections to millions of people worldwide.
By the time we reached my office suite on the third floor, Rebecca looked shell-shocked.