Louise Bernard

Louise Bernard was named director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum in 2017, and has led the design and development of the new institution, which opened in 2026. Prior to joining the Obama Foundation, Bernard served as director of exhibitions at the New York Public Library.

Before that, she was a senior content developer for museum design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates, where she worked on the design team that developed the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Obama Presidential Center, a 19.3-acre museum campus in Chicago’s historic Jackson Park, is described as a global hub designed to inspire, empower, and connect people to create change. Spanning four floors, the museum's exhibits explore democracy and the work of the Obama Presidency through unique artefacts and hands-on interactions in immersive exhibits.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Barack Obama said: "The exhibits focus not just on policies, but on the shared values that make democracy possible, a belief in the intrinsic dignity and worth of all people, and that no one is above the law or beneath its protection, a belief in checks and balances in our government and an accountability that comes with an independent judiciary and a robust, free press."

Michelle Obama said: "Hope is a choice. Whether or not we use our voices to speak up is a choice. Voting is a choice. Believing that we still hold the power to build a country that reflects us all is a choice.

"The Obama Presidential Center is a living testament to the power of choice."