The Fresno Art Museum Appoints New Executive Director

The Fresno Art Museum's Board of Trustees are pleased to announce they have selected Michele Ellis Pracy as the Museum's new Executive Director. She assumes her position on March 2, 2015.

Ms. Ellis Pracy comes to the Fresno Art Museum with more than 25 years devoted to the museum field, with her concentration in California. A graduate of Mills College with post-graduate studies in art law at Stanford and U.C. Berkeley, Michele began her museum career at the Oakland Museum of California working in the Art and History Departments. Over the course of her career, she created and managed San Francisco and Bay Area non-profit exhibition spaces and was a Corporate Curator for San Francisco companies including the Transamerica Pyramid, the Lurie Co., and Chevron, U.S.A. She has lectured at the San Francisco Art Institute, California College of Arts and Crafts, and U.C. Extension. She is also an experienced art gallery director and premier art dealer.

Since 2010, Ellis Pracy has been the Director of the Ojai Valley Museum in Ojai, California. During her five-year tenure, she was acknowledged for her visionary approach to museum management. Michele increased both membership and the museum's annual operating budget, and also improved donor relations. She revitalized the museum by upgrading its galleries and brought American Alliance of Museum standards to their exhibition programs. As Chief Curator, she organized over 20 original rotating exhibitions in addition to her administrative responsibilities.

Fresno Art Museum Board of Trustees President, Joe Sciarrone commented, "The Museum's trustees and staff look forward to Michele's leadership in fulfilling the Museum's mission of offering the community a dynamic experience for appreciating art. We expect that, with her guidance, the Museum can look forward to a period of growth and increased visibility in the Fresno community."