NEW LEADERSHIP TEAM INCLUDES CHIEF FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER JASON SEIFER AND CHIEF PHILANTHROPY OFFICER DANIELLE ST. GERMAIN

San Francisco, July 19, 2023 — The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Fine Arts Museums”), comprising the de Young and the Legion of Honor, today announced the appointment of Lisa Grove as the organization’s Chief Program and Strategy Officer, effective August 28. With over 20 years of leadership experience, Grove most recently served as Vice President, Obama Presidential Center Strategic Initiatives at the Obama Foundation in Chicago, and before that as Director and CEO of the Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, and Deputy Director of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. In her role as Chief Program and Strategy Officer, Grove will be overseeing the Fine Arts Museums’ Art Division (comprising Conservation, Curatorial, Library and Archives, and Publications), Web and Digital Strategy, and Education departments, with a particular focus on program planning and allocation of museum resources. As a close adviser to the Director and CEO on institutional strategy, Grove will oversee the continued execution of the Fine Arts Museums’ multi-year strategic plan and major institutional projects, as well as serve as a key government and cultural liaison to advance the Fine Arts Museums’ mission.

The Fine Arts Museums simultaneously announced that Jason Seifer—the Fine Arts Museums’ Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Administrative Officer—will be appointed Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, overseeing the institution’s Facilities and Operations, Finance, Information Technology, Retail, and Security departments. The news of the two leadership appointments follow Danielle St. Germain recently coming onboard as the Fine Arts Museums’ first Chief Philanthropy Officer. All three positions are part of the Senior Leadership team and report to the Fine Arts Museums’ Director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell.

“Coming out of the pandemic period with a full exhibition program and unprecedented attendance this past fiscal year, the Fine Arts Museums are in a strong position to look to its next chapter,” stated Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. “Lisa Grove’s extensive arts management experience, her proven track record in leading strategic initiatives, and her deep commitment to equity and inclusion will meaningfully bolster the strong expertise of the Museums’ leadership team. Likewise, Jason Seifer has demonstrated tremendous financial and operational leadership throughout his tenure. I couldn’t be more thrilled to shape the Fine Arts Museums’ future in partnership with Lisa, Jason, and our team.”

“As I return to the Bay Area, I am honored and excited to join Thomas P. Campbell and his team to support the Fine Arts Museums’ continued growth and evolution as a strong proponent of equity and inclusion,” said Lisa Grove. “I look forward to advancing a bold strategic vision for this beloved San Francisco institution that centers its artistic and programmatic mission on a diverse offering of exhibitions and programs with strong relevance to audiences across the city’s communities.”

About Lisa Grove

Between 2018 and 2023, Lisa Grove led strategic and operational planning for an ambitious new museum project, the Obama Presidential Center, where she created and launched its Inaugural Arts Plan, including several major commissions by a diverse lineup of contemporary artists, designed to bring the new cultural institution to life. During her six-year tenure as the Director and CEO of Telfair Museum of Art in Savannah, Georgia, she expanded and diversified its programming and garnered national recognition for the multi-year Slavery and Freedom in Savannah project, which reinterpreted the narrative of the historic slave quarters on one of the museum’s properties to include stories of the enslaved men, women, and children who lived and worked on the site. Grove also significantly strengthened Telfair’s financial sustainability, leading a major turnaround by raising record amounts of funding and generating six consecutive years of operating surpluses while increasing the endowment. Grove was a board member of Visit Savannah, the destination marketing division of the Savannah Chamber of Commerce.

Before joining Telfair in 2012, Grove served for seven years as Deputy Director at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, where she oversaw the successful completion of a $10 million campaign and the design of an award-winning new website and branding campaign. Previously, Grove was a senior strategy consultant at the Monitor Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a traveling exhibitions project manager at the Smithsonian Institution.

Grove attended graduate school in the United Kingdom as a Marshall Scholar and received an MA in history of art at the Courtauld Institute of Art and an MBA with Distinction in Strategic Management from the Imperial College Business School, London. She received a BA with distinction and honors in American studies from Stanford University.

About Jason Seifer

Jason Seifer currently serves as the Fine Arts Museums’ Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Administrative Officer. Joining the Fine Arts Museums in 2017 as Director of Finance, Seifer was appointed Chief Financial Officer in 2019. During his tenure, he has led a restructure of the Museums’ financial reporting and accounting systems, in addition to setting the Museums’ financial strategy throughout the pandemic. He has also been focused on financial and operational transparency in support of museum-wide DEIA goals.

Between 2010 and 2017, Seifer served as Director of Finance and Operations at the American Conservatory Theater, where he led seven consecutive years of balanced budgets and oversaw the financing and construction of the $34.5 million Strand Theater in San Francisco. Prior experience includes serving as Audit Manager at Singer Lewak LLP, where he earned his CPA (inactive), and working as an aide in the California State Controller’s office. Seifer earned his BA degree in international economics and urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles.

About the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Together, the de Young in Golden Gate Park and the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park make up the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the largest public arts institution in the city and one of the largest in the United States. Both are located on the land of the Ramaytush Ohlone, the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Opened in 1895, the de Young is home to American art from the 17th century through today; textile arts and costumes; African art; Oceanic art; arts of the Americas, and international contemporary art. Opened in 1924, the Legion of Honor presents European painting; sculpture; and decorative arts; ancient art; works on paper; and contemporary art.

Media Inquiries

Helena Nordstrom, Director of Communications, hnordstrom@famsf.org