Tricia Edwards

Tricia Edwards is the interim director of Smithsonian Libraries and Archives. Edwards oversees 21 library branches and reading rooms located in Washington, D.C., New York City, Maryland, Virginia and the Republic of Panama. Smithsonian Libraries and Archives contains nearly 3 million library volumes and more than 44,000 cubic feet of archival materials chronicling the history of the Smithsonian. 

Previously, Edwards was the deputy director for the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Smithsonian Affiliations (SITES | SA), where she provided executive leadership and direction for overall planning, development and management of SITES | SA programs and activities. From June 2024–June 2025, she was the interim director for SITES | SA. She also served as the deputy director for Smithsonian Affiliations and interim deputy director for exhibits, finance and administration for SITES.

Before joining SITES | SA, Edwards spent 12 years as the head of education for the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where she developed Spark!Lab, a hands-on invention workspace for children. She also oversaw installations of Spark!Labs in cities across the U.S. and abroad and launched an award-winning consumer product line under the Spark!Lab brand.

Prior to coming to the Smithsonian, Edwards directed education activities at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and the Delaware Museum of Natural History. She began her career as a pre-school teacher.

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SI-226-2025