The Bruce Taps Isaacson, Miller to Find New Executive Director
October 2, 2024 – Museums are increasingly turning to specialist recruiters to help fill critical senior-level leadership roles. As these positions grow more sophisticated and complex, the hunt for top-flight talent to fill these roles becomes all the more important. Boston-based Isaacson, Miller has been retained by the Bruce Museum (the Bruce) in Greenwich, Conn, to lead in its search for a new executive director. Partners Ben Tobin and Sarah James are leading this search with managing associate Ryan Leichenauer and senior associate Arianna Williams. The Bruce Museum is seeking a transformational and charismatic leader to serve as its next executive director. Working closely with the board of trustees and staff, the executive director will promote the Bruce’s goal to be “a center for inspiration and learning, where extraordinary art and science spark conversation, connection and creativity.”
The ideal candidate will be committed to the strategic plan developed by the board and staff, with a proven ability to work collaboratively. The executive director will lead and support an innovative exhibition and public events programming schedule of the highest quality. Serving as an ambassador and key spokesperson, the executive director will act as a visible leader in the community, representing the museum in Greenwich, the region, and beyond. The executive director will be a creative and strategic leader who can bring together multiple constituencies to achieve a common vision, according to Isaacson, Miller.
The search committee understands that no single candidate will have all the ideal qualifications, but it seeks candidates with the following experience and abilities:
- Experience and proven success as a senior leader of a museum or other multidisciplinary cultural organization.
- A significant reputation and network within the art world and an ability to relate and appeal to art collectors and cultivate donations of art.
- A deep understanding of and interest in art and science.
- Proven results in and enthusiasm for fundraising.
- An ability to engage and build rapport with key stakeholders, including donors, artists, collectors, corporate sponsors and partners, and community leaders in Greenwich and beyond, in part through active participation and involvement in the Greenwich community and the surrounding area.
- The ability to attract support from and advance the interests of the Museum with policymakers, business leaders, peers, arts and science collectors, artists, and the media.
The Bruce is a community-based, world-class institution accredited by the American Alliance of Museums that offers a changing array of exceptional exhibitions and educational programs to promote the understanding and appreciation of art, science, and the intersections between the two disciplines. Now considered ahead of its time for taking this multidisciplinary approach over a century ago, the Bruce is at the heart of contemporary efforts to bring together art, science, technology, and creativity to generate moments of discovery and dialogue. The first exhibition at the Bruce took place in 1912 and featured works by local artists known as the Greenwich Society of Artists, several of whom were members of the Cos Cob Art Colony. Their works formed the nucleus of the Bruce’s art holdings and continue to be a strength of the collection, which has expanded to focus on global art from 1850 to the present.
Experienced Search Firm
A nationally recognized search firm focused on recruiting transformational leaders for mission-driven organizations, Isaacson, Miller has conducted thousands of placements over more than three decades. More than half of the firm’s work has been in academia, involving university presidents, college chancellors and deans. The firm has filled top leadership posts at Wellesley College, Washington State University, Miami University, Howard University, Bowdoin College, Dartmouth, NYU, Virginia State University, and the University of North Carolina, among others.
Related: Demand Intensifies From Non-Profits Seeking Senior Talent
Since joining Isaacson, Miller in 2011, Mr. Tobin has worked on searches across multiple sectors. Representative clients include higher education institutions, foundations, and cultural organizations. Additionally, Mr. Tobin has helped drive the firm’s practice in recruiting for schools of art, architecture, and design, placing presidents, provosts, deans, and other academic and administrative leaders to institutions around the country.
Arts Consulting Group Tapped by the Bruce to Lead COO Search
Boston-based search firm Arts Consulting Group (ACG) has been retained by the Bruce Museum (the Bruce) in Greenwich, Conn, to lead in its search for a new chief operating officer. Wyona Lynch-McWhite, senior vice president, and Josyanne Roche, vice president, are leading the assignment for the search firm. The COO, in partnership with the executive director and CEO, will serve as a co-leader and the primary administrative, operational, and facility leader of the newly revitalized the Bruce Museum. An engaged leader, the COO will be committed to organizational excellence and possess a deep appreciation for the changing museum field, community engagement, and high-quality visitor experiences, according to Arts Consulting Group.
Ms. James has been recruiting chief executives for national and international nonprofits since 1996. She has partnered with a variety of notable institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art, Brooklyn Museum, MFA Boston, MFA Houston, Wexner Center for the Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, World Monuments Fund, SFMOMA, New York Botanical Garden, and New York City Ballet, among many others.
Mr. Leichenauer joined Isaacson, Miller in 2019 and is a key member of Isaacson, Miller’s arts and culture practice. He works on searches for leadership across museums, cultural organizations, and higher education. His background is in museum administration.
Prior to joining Isaacson, Miller, Ms. Williams worked as an admissions officer at Harvard University. While at Harvard, she directed the Joint Travel program with over a dozen peer institutions across the country, coordinating events for prospective applicants and their families. Ms. Williams has a deep passion for admissions and higher education, and also worked as the SENIOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis, where she focused on the hiring and training of internal staff.
Related: Surging Non-Profit Sector Seeks Senior Leaders
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
