Jorge Zamanillo

Bio

Jorge Zamanillo is the founding director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino. In legislation establishing the museum within the Smithsonian, Congress stated the purposes of the museum are “to illuminate the story of the United States for the benefit of all by featuring Latino contributions to the art, history and culture of the nation since its early history.”

Previously, Mr. Zamanillo was the executive director and CEO of HistoryMiami Museum. He began working at the museum in Miami in 2000 as the curator of object collections and, over time, organized several key exhibitions and programs, including renovating the museum’s permanent exhibition. Before he was promoted to executive director and CEO, he served in several leadership positions at HistoryMiami— including deputy director, vice president of expansion projects and senior curator.

Before joining HistoryMiami Museum, Mr. Zamanillo was an archaeologist at the non-profit cultural resource management firm Archaeological and Historical Conservancy Inc. in Miami. He currently serves as the vice chair and board member of the American Alliance of Museums.

Mr. Zamanillo earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology at Florida State University in Tallahassee and a master’s in museum studies at the University of Leicester in Leicester, England.