Polly Yorioka
Humanities Washington has announced the election of Polly Yorioka of Seattle to its Board of Trustees.
Yorioka—who’s Japanese American—currently serves as exhibit curator at the Edmonds Historical Museum, where she designs exhibitions highlighting the region’s diverse histories and leads an immigrant oral history initiative that connects community members, students, and volunteers.
Her previous roles include a Curator’s Fellowship at the Museum of History and Industry, where she presented public scholarship on Japanese cultural traditions, and museology work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focused on accessibility and visitor experience.
In April, Humanities Washington received notice that committed funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities had been revoked by DOGE, the Department of Government Efficiency. Since that time, Humanities Washington has canceled programs and cut staff.
Julie Ziegler, CEO and executive director of Humanities Washington said, “Federal funding for independent, authentic, and honest humanities programs is in serious jeopardy, and we need strong leaders like Polly to ensure continued access to programs that explore current events in the context of our history and various community perspectives.”