Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Announces Search to Identify New Director
Esteemed Phillips Oppenheim Firm to Lead Search
Memphis, TN (September 25, 2014) — Nathan Bicks, President of the Board of Trustees of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, announced today that a search committee has been formed and that the Phillips Oppenheim firm of New York City has been selected to lead the search for the new Director of Memphis Brooks Museum, replacing Cameron Kitchin, who leaves the position on September 26.
The search committee is chaired by Lisa Kranc, retired Senior Vice President, Marketing and Customer Satisfaction, AutoZone, and a Brooks Trustee since September 2011. In addition to Kranc, the search committee consists of: Deborah Craddock, Vice President, Southeastern Asset Management and Brooks Trustee; Barbara Hyde, President, J. R. Hyde Family Foundation, and Brooks Trustee; Tom Lee, President, Stovall Engineering, and Brooks Trustee; Carl Person, Global Enterprise Sales, UPS, and Brooks Trustee; Chris Peck, Associate Director, Pyramid Peak Foundation; Beverly Robertson, retired President, National Civil Rights Museum; and Elizabeth Rouse, President and COO, Arts Memphis.
“I am extremely gratified that a committee of this caliber could be assembled to assure that the best possible candidates are recruited to lead the museum into its next century. It is a testimony to the significance and importance of the Brooks as a primary cultural asset in our community that these individuals were willing to undertake this responsibility,” said Mr. Bicks.
Phillips Oppenheim, a New York firm with eminent history in executive recruiting for the nonprofit sector has been selected to coordinate the search process. Among organizations listed on its client roster are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Andy Warhol Foundation. Mark Tarnacki, who has been at Phillips Oppenheim since 2001, will manage the search. Mr. Tarnacki, who has years of experience with nonprofit organizations, has invited museum staff to offer suggestions and recommendations to the search committee as it proceeds with its assignment.
Ms. Kranc noted that, “We are pleased that Phillips Oppenheim has a great sense of urgency around this effort, with particular focus on the strong leadership qualities that we are seeking at this exciting juncture in the museum’s history.”
Specific candidate recommendations for the position of Director should be submitted to Mr. Tarnacki at mtarnacki@phillipsoppenheim.com.
Harry Goldsmith, Vice President of the Board of Trustees, is serving as Interim Director of Memphis Brooks Museum until a permanent successor is put in place. Mr. Goldsmith, who recently retired as General Counsel from AutoZone, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, and is currently Senior Counsel to Bass, Berry & Sims PLC, has been involved with the Brooks as a Trustee and benefactor for many years. As Interim Director, Mr. Goldsmith will continue the focus of implementing the mission of Memphis Brooks Museum, which is to enrich the lives of our diverse community through the museum's expanding collection, varied exhibitions, and dynamic programs that reflect the art of world cultures from antiquity to the present.
About the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art: Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, located at 1934 Poplar Avenue in historic Overton Park, is one of the leading art museums in the American South. Over 9,000 works make up the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection including ancient works from Greece, Rome, and the Ancient Americas; Renaissance masterpieces from Italy; English portraiture; American painting and decorative arts; contemporary art; and a survey of African art. For more information on the Brooks, and all other exhibitions and programs, call (901) 544-6200 or visit www.brooksmuseum.org.
Community Partners: ArtsMemphis, Hyde Family Foundations, Tennessee Arts Commission, The Jeniam Foundation, and AutoZone.