Everhart Museum Names Kathy Johnson Bowles as Executive Director

After a nationwide six-month search and with assistance from Arts Consulting Group, the Board of Trustees of the Everhart Museum is pleased to announce that Kathy “Johnson” Bowles has been selected as the new Executive Director. Ms. Johnson Bowles brings with her thirty-two years of experience in museum management and higher education, specializing in fundraising, strategic planning, community engagement, diversity and inclusion, and sustainability.

Ms. Johnson Bowles has worked extensively with educational and not-for-profit institutions creating
philanthropic and revenue-generating solutions as the CEO of Gordian Knot Consulting, as a senior
executive in higher education, and as a museum director. Her advice on management best practices has been published in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Higher Education, the National Association of University and College Business Officers, among others. As a museum director, she has organized more
than 120 exhibitions and has written numerous catalogs and essays for national publications.

” Ms. Johnson Bowles successfully led Longwood University’s Longwood Center for the Visual Art to national accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and received more than a dozen international, national, and regional awards for excellence in programs and publications. Her experience is extensive, and the Board of Trustees and I have much confidence in her ability to provide the guidance and leadership needed as we look to the future,” said Don Frederickson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Ms. Johnson Bowles has provided service to national, state, and regional boards, including an
appointment by the Governor of Virginia to The Library of Virginia Board, and was a Fellow with the
American Council on Education, the Harvard Management Institute, and the National Endowment for
the Arts.

“I am passionate about the role museums play in communities. Museums allow us to showcase our history, connect it to our lives today as we imagine the future. I hope to bring my experience to the Everhart, guiding and leading the team to achieve institutional excellence through focused innovation and shared responsibility as we serve the public,” said Ms. Johnson Bowles.

Kathy Johnson Bowles will relocate to the Scranton area from North Carolina. The move will bring her closer to her daughter, who resides in Philadelphia.