Update on Search for Cleveland Museum of Art Director

CLEVELAND (January 10, 2014) — The Cleveland Museum of Art has retained the executive recruiting firm Russell Reynolds Associates to assist in the search for a new director of the museum. Russell Reynolds Associates is a leading private firm in non-profit senior-level executive search and assessment. They have 42 offices across North and South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific and have served clients for over 40 years.

Russell Reynolds Associates, along with members of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees director’s search committee, chaired by Museum Trustee Peter Raskind, are gathering input from several sources to aid in the search for the new director. They are meeting with museum staff, community leaders and trustees to define the director’s role to ensure the search committee’s selection of the best candidate to fit with the institution’s mission and culture.

“The directorship at the Cleveland Museum of Art is arguably one of the most highly sought positions available in the museum field today,” said Peter Raskind. “We believe the stellar comprehensive collection, community support and financial stability together with the recent celebration of the historic renovation and expansion project will attract the highest caliber pool of director candidates worldwide.”

The museum’s search committee consists of the following Museum Trustees: Peter Raskind (Chair), Frederick E. Bidwell, Sarah S. Cutler, Helen Forbes Fields, Agnes Gund, Nancy F. Keithley, R. Steven Kestner, Scott C. Mueller, Alfred M. Rankin, Jr., James A. Ratner and Deborah Gribbon, adviser to the committee.

On October 21, 2013, Frederick E. Bidwell was named by the board to the role of Interim Director until a new director is appointed. Bidwell assumed this role upon the resignation of ninth director, David Franklin.