Effie Kapsalis died on Sunday, December 11, 2022, at home in Maryland after a long and courageous battle with depression. A devoted mother, wife, sister and friend, Effie was a joyous storyteller, a committed community builder, and an unabashed feminist who was deeply loved by a community that spanned the globe. She was 51.

Effie was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 21, 1971 to Andreas Kapsalis and Glenda Hawley Kapsalis. She attended Evanston High School and graduated from Indiana University Bloomington, majoring in French language and literature, and received her master’s degree from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in industrial design and pervasive technology.

Internationally recognized as an expert in open knowledge systems and equitable access, Effie began her career during the web boom in the nineties. In 2005 she found her niche doing digital work for museums. A passion for inclusiveness and outreach drove her work at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where she was a longtime employee.

Effie led the efforts to develop the Smithsonian’s Open Access Initiative, which put millions of images from the collection into the public domain. She was a significant collaborator on the One Smithsonian digital strategy, and was one of the institution’s greatest collaborators, bringing together partners from the Smithsonian museums and museums around the world.

Effie led the Smithsonian’s efforts to increase the representation of women in the collection by developing the digital strategy for the Smithsonian’s American Women’s History Initiative, and was responsible for creating the digital strategy for the upcoming American Women’s History Museum. She also made a great effort to share her expertise with junior colleagues by speaking at and organizing museum conferences, and teaching museum studies as an adjunct professor at George Washington University.

Effie was a dedicated mother, wife, and friend. She married Andrew Curry on May 31, 2008, in McLean, Virginia, surrounded by loved ones. Her daughter, Melina Helen Kapsalis, was born in 2011.

Effie loved food and cooking - she made amazing mayonnaise from scratch - and was known for sharing delicious recipes with family and friends. Known as “Giggles” among a close group of friends, her snappy fashion sense was famous, always with her signature bright lipstick, funky glasses and jazzy nails. A trained yoga teacher, she also enjoyed paddle boarding and spending time on beaches and in the woods. She loved her two dogs, Hazel and Fig, who often kept her company during the long hours of remote work during COVID.

Being the daughter of an immigrant was a significant part of Effie’s identity and underpinned her interest in marginalized populations and inclusivity. She was incredibly proud of her Greek heritage and made sure her daughter visited Greece to meet the many relatives still living there.

Effie is survived by her husband and daughter; her mother Glenda Kapsalis (Rasto Brezny); sister Terri Kapsalis (John Corbett); many aunts, uncles and cousins; as well as many friends and colleagues who will miss her presence in their lives.

A memorial service is planned for January. Please consider making a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Greek America Foundation, or the National Organization for Women to help keep Effie’s memory alive.

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