The Walters Appoints Kate Burgin Deputy Director for Museum Advancement

April 7, 2016 – Julia Marciari-Alexander, the Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum, today announced that Kate Burgin has been named the institution’s new Deputy Director for Museum Advancement after a national search.  Burgin will lead the museum’s Advancement Division of development, marketing and communications, and visitor experience staff dedicated to engaging audiences, building support and increasing awareness of the Walters. In this role, she joins the Walters’ senior leadership team, which comprises Eleanor Hughes as Deputy Director for Art & Program;  Kathleen Basham as Chief Operating Officer; and Executive Director Marciari-Alexander.

“Kate brings a depth of experience in organizational strategy, audience development and revenue enhancement with a focus on cultural nonprofits,” said Marciari-Alexander. “Her data-driven approach and expertise in building engagement will lead to an expanded base of support for the Walters, and her wonderful presence will be an incredible asset to Baltimore’s arts community.”

“The naming of Kate Burgin to this role completes Julia’s new senior leadership team,” said Ellen N. Bernard, president of the Board of Trustees of the Walters Art Museum. “As the Walters continues its commitment to free admission for everyone, this leadership team will ensure that we engage audiences and increase our generous public and private support to sustain this great museum for generations to come.”

Burgin comes to the Walters with extensive experience in organizational strategy, audience development and revenue enhancement for arts and cultural nonprofits and foundations. Currently she is Senior Vice President and Director of Research and Special Initiatives at TDC, one of the nation’s top management consulting firms for the nonprofit sector. Burgin’s prior experience includes six years at the Boston Consulting Group, where her work focused on strategy, consumer audience research, and organizational development. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in history and literature, from Harvard College.

“Julia’s arrival as Executive Director has marked the beginning of a new era for the Walters, characterized by a rethinking of how to leverage its renowned collections and programs to achieve even greater impact,” said Burgin. “I look forward to working with the museum’s exceptional leadership team, talented staff and committed Board of Trustees and volunteers.”

A native of Sacramento, California, Burgin lives in Baltimore with her husband and three children. She begins her new position on May 9.

About the Walters Art Museum
The Walters Art Museum, located in downtown Baltimore’s historic Mount Vernon Cultural District at North Charles and Centre Streets, is free and open to the public. At the time of his death in 1931, museum founder Henry Walters left his entire collection of art to the city of Baltimore. Its collection includes ancient art, medieval art and manuscripts, decorative objects, Asian art and Old Master and 19th-century paintings. The Museum Store offers distinctive gifts, jewelry and books based on the museum’s collections.

Free admission to the Walters Art Museum is made possible by the combined generosity of individual members, friends and benefactors, foundations, corporations, and grants from the City of Baltimore, Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and Howard County Government and Howard County Arts Council.

###