Andy Mink, director of Rural Initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution, delivered the keynote address at the 2026 Rural Philanthropy Summit. The fourth-annual event was presented by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks and Philanthropy Missouri, and sponsored by Patterson Family Foundation and Marillac Mission Fund. Produced by Motion Craftworks.
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Andy Mink
Director of Rural Initiatives at the Smithsonian Institution
Andy Mink has served as the founding director of the Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative since 2023. He provides leadership in shaping and growing the initiative in order to establish the programmatic and operational infrastructure necessary to execute pan-institutional collaborations that expand the reach of the Smithsonian’s resources, expertise, and programming.
He joined the Office of the Undersecretary of Education after successful years as the vice president of education at the National Humanities Center (NHC). Mink began his career in higher education in 2001 as the director of education and outreach with the Virginia Center for Digital History at the University of Virginia. He later served as the executive director of LEARN NC in the Peabody School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
After earning degrees in history from the University of Virginia and the University of South Carolina, he taught in a public middle school in rural central Virginia for 10 years. Mink has been named National K–12 Educator of the Year by the National Society of Experiential Education and Outstanding Support for Geography Education by the National Council for Geography Education during his work as an educator. He is currently listed as a Distinguished Lecturer by the Organization of American Historians.
Finally, Mink is a dedicated service leader. He has served on numerous local, regional, and national Boards of Directors, including multiple terms on the National Council for the Social Studies, National Council for History Education, and North Carolina Outward Bound School. A native of rural eastern Virginia, his background and wide-ranging set of professional experiences inform his deep commitment to community-based partnerships.
