The Smithsonian joins the state of Indiana and the nation in mourning the tragic loss of Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, who served as a member of the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum’s Advisory Council. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appointed Rep. Walorski to the Council in June 2021, where she demonstrated her passion and commitment to ensuring that the women from America’s Heartland and across the country could excel at whatever path they chose.
A lifelong Hoosier, born and raised in South Bend, her deep love of her family and Indiana was evident to those who worked with her in Congress and the Indiana Statehouse. First elected to Congress in 2012, Rep. Walorski served on the House Ways and Means Committee and as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support. She also served as the ranking member of the House Ethics Committee.
We will be keeping her family and staff in our thoughts in the coming days, along with the family of the other accident victims including her staff members, Zachery Potts and Emma Thomson. We are grateful for her dedicated service to her constituents, Congress, and the Smithsonian.
Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution
Penny Pritzker, Chair, Smithsonian American Women’s History Advisory Council
