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PAFA
NPG
HSP
PMA
Monash Gallery of Art
NPGGreatHall
AmericasPresidents
Curriculum Vitae
Education

 

Doctorate in Liberal Studies (DLS) Georgetown University, D.C. 

 

Masters in Art History (MA), Bryn Mawr College, PA. USA

 

Masters of Business Admin. (MBA) Melbourne University, Vic. Australia

Bachelors of Arts (BA) University of Melbourne, Vic. Australia

 

Graduate Diploma in Applied Science / Museum Studies,

Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.

Museum Leadership Institute (MLI) program, Getty Institute.

National Arts Strategies CEO Leadership program.

Strategic Perspectives for non-profit management, Harvard Business School.

Work Experience

 

Director, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC. USA
April 2013 – present.

 

The National Portrait Gallery (NPG)  was established by an act of Congress and opened in 1968 to represent those whom have made a significant contribution to America. The collection currently houses 23,000 works of art, featuring 18,000 people across all mediums; including video portraits. The Portrait Gallery's lead attraction is a complete representation of America's Presidents, and the museum works with the White House to commission the official portraits of the outgoing chief executive and first lady during their final year in office. Between 1.8 - 2.3 million people visit the museum in Washington D.C. each year, and 4 million online.

 

 

President & CEO, Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA. USA. 
April 2007 – March 2013

 

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) is one of America's

pre-eminent historical archives founded in 1824, and comprised of 21 million documents spanning 350 years of history. Rivaling the Library of Congress in its holdings on the Early Republic, the HSP owns such nationally significant documents as the first and second hand-written drafts of the US Constitution, the printer’s proof of the Declaration of Independence, the handwritten copy of Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner, and the first American photograph; as well as significant American fine arts, illustration and architectural drawings and works-on-paper. HSP is also the largest repository for ethnic and immigrant history in the U.S., and the third largest for family history. 82% of the collection is considered to be of “high national significance” (Mellon Foundation Report 2002).

 

Senior Vice President & Deputy Director
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
Philadelphia, PA. USA
February 2001 – March 2007

 

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) founded in 1805, is the oldest art museum and school of Fine Arts in the U.S. internationally known for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Its archives house important materials for the study of American art history, museums, and art training.

 

 

Director for Corporate Relations,
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, PA. USA
September 1998 – February 2001

 

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) founded in 1877 holds more than 225,000 internationally-significant works of art and artifacts in 200 galleries spanning 2,000 years of history. The museum administers several annexes including the Rodin Museum, the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, and the historic houses of Mount Pleasant and Cedar Grove located in Fairmount Park.

 

 

Director, Monash Gallery of Art (formerly Waverly City Gallery), Victoria, Australia
1993 – 1995
 
Curator / Director, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (formerly Mornington Peninsula Arts Center, Victoria, Australia
1989 -1993
Background

 

Born in Nigeria to Dutch parents, I grew up in Australia. A citizen of the Netherlands, I have lived in the United States since 1997 and now call Washington D.C. home. 

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