Virginia Kromm

As chief advancement officer at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Virginia Kromm leads a team of professionals to raise critical funds for Smithsonian conservation work around the world and at the Zoo. She manages the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's advisory board, serves on the leadership team and works collaboratively with colleagues across the institution to advance the Smithsonian’s mission. She also liaises with Friends of the National Zoo on fundraising activities.

Prior to working at the Smithsonian, Kromm served as vice president of external affairs at Island Press, a nonprofit publisher of environmental science. There, she created public education programs that brought scientific luminaries to the public as thought leaders in major cities around the country; developed an online community of practice and knowledge exchange around climate change adaptation science; and raised funds for the publication of new ideas in environmental science.

Before working at Island Press, Kromm worked at Resources for the Future, an environmental economics think tank, where she directed corporate and foundation fundraising and helped manage climate policy work.

Kromm is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, an active volunteer at the National Arboretum and a member of the Board of Directors at Friends of the National Arboretum. She has been a Washington, D.C., resident for more than 16 years, and currently resides in Capitol Hill with her husband Joe.