Richard West, Jr. is a founding director and Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian. Richard West is a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes and a Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. He is also a 2021 inductee in the National Native American Hall of Fame.

Prior to his time as the Director of the NMAI and the Autry Museum of the American West, he was an attorney in both New Mexico and Washington D.C. As of 2011 he has served on the board of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, & Museums.

His devotion to community and his incredible vision for leadership has been an inspiration to generations of Native American leaders…and the host of this podcast.