Anne Kraybill Named New Director of The Westmoreland

GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (June 27, 2018) – The Westmoreland Museum of American Art announces that Anne Kraybill will become the Museum’s new Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO beginning August 20. Kraybill, who will be the third director in the Museum’s history, succeeds Judith Hansen O’Toole, who retires this month after 25 years in the position.
Kraybill is a proven leader in the arts and culture sector with demonstrated success in program development, community engagement, fundraising, strategic planning and staff mentorship. She has an unwavering belief that the arts can improve lives and strengthen communities and should be accessible and celebrated for all.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are excited and delighted to have Anne join The Westmoreland as our new director. She brings a wealth of experience to the role, and we are confident in her ability to lead us into the next era for the Museum,” Board President Ellen Swank said.
“I am honored to have been chosen as the next director of The Westmoreland and build upon the strong legacy Judith has created,” stated Kraybill in regards to her appointment. “The Westmoreland’s collection, program and values are exemplary, and I am excited to work with the talented and dedicated staff of the Museum and become a part of the Greensburg community.”
Kraybill comes to The Westmoreland after seven years at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, having been hired on the team before the museum opened to the public in 2011. There she was promoted through several positions in the education department, and became Director of Education and Research in Learning and a member of the leadership team in 2015.
Her deep passion for the arts has been reflected in her work at Crystal Bridges through the development of inventive and expansive programs and partnerships that serve more than 160,000 individuals annually. She currently heads a team of 35 full- and part-time staff and works closely with the museum’s leadership.
“Anne is a skilled leader with a track record of successful engagement and impact with the communities the museum serves,” said Rod Bigelow, Executive Director and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. “While we’ll miss her at Crystal Bridges, we couldn’t be more proud of her accomplishments and bright future.”
Prior to being at Crystal Bridges, Kraybill held positions at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, the Center for Creative Education and the Norton Museum of Art, the latter both in West Palm Beach. She earned an MA in Museum Education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, during which time she was a graduate assistant at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Earlier this month, Kraybill participated in the renowned Getty Leadership Institute, a program of the Getty Foundation. Participants from around the world, chosen from a highly competitive pool of applicants, convene at the Institute for an intensive professional development program for museum decision-makers.
Kraybill has family roots in Pennsylvania, is married with two children and intends to make Greensburg her home.
About The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
Committed to stimulating imagination and innovation through great experiences with art, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, is the only museum dedicated to American art in western Pennsylvania. The Westmoreland’s extraordinary permanent collection, with its strong focus on the art and artists of Southwestern Pennsylvania, is complemented by an impressive schedule of temporary exhibitions— both nationally traveling and those organized in house—as well as community-oriented programming and special events. More information is available at thewestmoreland.org and on the Museum’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles.
The Westmoreland receives funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; the Marketing to Attract Tourism Grant through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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