Maryanne Murphy Appointed Barnes Foundation Chief Financial Officer
Philadelphia, PA, August 1, 2023—Thom Collins, Neubauer Family Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation, today announced the appointment of Maryanne Murphy as the Barnes’s new Chief Financial Officer. A financial and operating officer with over 30 years of experience bringing processes and efficiencies to organizations to position them for stable growth, Murphy most recently served as Chief Financial and Operations Officer at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA). She begins her post at the Barnes on August 1.
At PAFA, Murphy oversaw the business operations, technology, financial aid, capital projects, museum store, café, and events teams. Her expertise in implementing technology systems and creating high-functioning teams helped streamline processes and improve the bottom line. Prior to her tenure at PAFA, which began in 2020, Murphy served as the Chief Administrative Officer at the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies-Brighton, Colorado, from 2016 to 2020; Controller of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science from 2010 to 2016; and Controller of the Graland Country Day School, Denver, from 2000 to 2010.
As Chief Financial Officer, Murphy will join the Barnes’s executive leadership team and lead the finance department. She will oversee the institution’s budget; financial policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements; and the annual audit. Murphy will have responsibility for overall investment management, risk management, and the commercial insurance program.
In this role, Murphy succeeds Peg Zminda, who has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of the Barnes for 17 years, as well as Interim Executive Director and President from 2014 to 2015. With Zminda’s upcoming retirement, her responsibilities have been divided between Murphy as Chief Financial Officer and Will Cary as Chief Operating Officer. Zminda will continue her tenure at the Barnes through the end of 2023, ensuring a smooth transition and shift of responsibilities.
“I am delighted to welcome Maryanne to the Barnes. A highly respected finance and operations professional with extensive leadership experience at educational institutions, Maryanne will be a significant asset to the Barnes,” says Collins. “The Barnes is a thriving, financially sound organization today in no small part due to the tireless work of my dear colleague Peg Zminda, who has diligently led the finance and operations departments for 17 years. She has made an indelible impact on the institution, and I am deeply grateful she will continue her work through the end of the year ensuring a seamless transition. With Maryanne’s extensive accounting background and keen business acumen, she will be essential to the Barnes’s future growth and success. I look forward to our work together as the Barnes continues to innovate and better serve our community.”
“I am thrilled to join the Barnes, an art collection and mission-driven educational institution that I hold dear to my heart as both an art lover and home-grown Philadelphian,” says Murphy. “The Barnes is known throughout the field for its collaborative and innovative spirit, and I very much look forward to working with Thom and our colleagues to help it continue to thrive, grow, and enrich the community.”
Murphy graduated from Drexel University with a BS in accounting and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned canvases by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside African, Asian, ancient, medieval, and Native American art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.
The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” A visionary collector and pioneering educator, Dr. Barnes was also a fierce advocate for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and the economically marginalized. Committed to racial equality and social justice, he established a scholarship program to support young Black artists, writers, and musicians who wanted to further their education. Dr. Barnes was deeply interested in African American culture and became actively involved in the Harlem Renaissance, during which he collaborated with philosopher Alain Locke and Charles S. Johnson, the scholar and activist, to promote awareness of the artistic value of African art.
Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes Foundation has expanded its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice, teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways; investing in original scholarship relating to its collection; and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its programs.
The Barnes Foundation is situated in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people. Read our Land Acknowledgment.
Hours and ticket prices are listed on our website.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Online press office: barnesfoundation.org/press