In July, the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage’s advisory council nominated and elected members John Boochever and Selina Morales as chair and vice chair, respectively. Their council leadership positions were later confirmed by the Smithsonian Board of Regents.
Members of the advisory council serve vital functions as ambassadors who engage the public, advise leadership, and advance our mission through fundraising and donor relations work. Former chair Joe Kapp resigned from the council in July to focus on new business opportunities. During the council’s triannual meeting, Center director Cliff Murphy thanked Kapp for his service and wished him well in his new endeavors.
Boochever brings tremendous experience to his role as chair through his management consulting work, together with a passionate commitment to nonprofit leadership, including a stint as a commissioner for the National Portrait Gallery.
Morales is a public folklorist whose work focuses on urban folklife and the role of community aesthetics in social justice action. In 2024, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress awarded her an Archie Green Fellowship to research the occupational culture of traditional Puerto Rican healers.
“John’s organizational insight, shaped by a distinguished career in international business and his dedication to the arts, is a tremendous asset to the Center,” Murphy says. “Selina, likewise, is a visionary leader in folklife and cultural heritage programming, practice, and scholarship. Together as chair and vice chair, their complementary strengths will guide us through a rapidly changing landscape toward a bright future for the Center.”
During the same gathering, the Center introduced two new members of the council: former U.S. Foreign Service officer Jere Broh-Kahn and longtime marketing executive Flavia Panza. Folklorist and former Smithsonian Folkways staff member Emily Hilliard was nominated and will formally join the council at the next meeting in October.
Claire Morgan is the donor relations specialist at the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
