Jorge Zamanillo (born in 1969) is an American archaeologist, curator, and museum administrator. He has served as the founding director of the National Museum of the American Latino since May 2022. Zamanillo was the chief executive officer of

HistoryMiami HistoryMiami Museum, formerly known as the Historical Museum of Southern Florida, is a museum located in Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. HistoryMiami Museum is the largest history museum in the State of Florida. HistoryMiami houses four p ...

from 2016 to 2022.

Life

Zamanillo was born in 1969 in

Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the northern part of the Borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is named for Fort Washington (Manhattan), Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the Bennett Park (Ne ...

to Cuban immigrants parents. He is the youngest of four children. His parents immigrated to the United States in 1966 as part of the Freedom Flights. Zamanillo's family moved to Miami in 1976. Zamanillo earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. Originally a music student, he switched his major to archaeology in 1988 after a solo trip to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

museums. As an undergraduate student, he worked part-time in visitor services and as an educator at

. Zamanillo completed a master's degree in museum studies at the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

. For ten years, Zamanillo was an archaeologist at the nonprofit firm, Archaeological and Historical Conservancy Inc. In 2000, he returned to HistoryMiami as its curator of object collections. In 2011, Zamanillo was the project manager overseeing the design and construction of the Miami Circle archaeological park. In 2016, he succeeded Stuart Chase as HistoryMiami's chief executive officer. He oversaw 45 staff members and an annual budget of . He led the development of its Center for Photography. In 2022, Zamanillo was also the president of the Florida Association of Museums and a board member and treasurer of the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

. In February 2022, Zamanillo was named the incoming founding director of the National Museum of the American Latino. He assumed the position on May 2, 2022. He was able to gain the position as he was the most fit to become director due to the fact he was already so into supporting the history of American Latino history. Zamanillio and his wife Ann have a daughter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zamanillo, Jorge 1969 births Living people People from Washington Heights, Manhattan Florida State University alumni Alumni of the University of Leicester American museologists American curators 21st-century American archaeologists Directors of museums in the United States American chief executives People from Miami American people of Cuban descent Hispanic and Latino American social scientists Scientists from New York City