Milwaukee Art Museum Announces New President of Its Board of Trustees

Donald W. Layden Jr. Photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Milwaukee, Wis., May 26, 2015 The Milwaukee Art Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of Donald W. Layden Jr. as President of its Board of Trustees. Layden assumes the position from Kenneth C. Krei who will become Board Chairman. This transition in Museum leadership ensures the continuity of the Museum’s mission and affirms its role as one of the most significant cultural institutions in the city and region. The Milwaukee Art Museum’s Board of Trustees includes 48 distinguished civic and business leaders dedicated to the Museum.

“Having benefited from Ken’s counsel over the years, I look forward to working with him and Don in their new roles,” said Daniel Keegan, Museum director. “We are grateful for Ken’s leadership during the past three years, and wouldn’t be where we are today without his guidance. With the Museum’s major renovation project nearing completion and with Don’s vision, we will be ushering in a new era for the Museum.”

“Devoting my energy, along with many others, to the advancement of this institution, its mission and the role it plays in and beyond Milwaukee is my privilege,” said Layden. “I am excited to join Dan Keegan at this critical juncture, just a few months away from the unveiling of the new and improved Milwaukee Art Museum. Having been part of the Museum’s leadership team for the past three years, I find it invigorating to become more involved at this wonderful organization, which continues to grow in leaps and bounds.”

Mr. Layden is a partner at Quarles & Brady and is a member of the firm’s Business Law Practice Group, focusing his practice on corporate law, with an emphasis on clients in the technology and business services areas.  Mr. Layden has also worked with Baird Capital as an Operating Partner since 2011. In this capacity he works with Baird’s Venture Capital group to source, evaluate and oversee investment opportunities in the Business Services sector, with a particular emphasis on financial technology, business process outsourcing and health-care services companies.

Mr. Layden serves on the board of Firstsource Solutions Ltd., headquartered in Mumbai, India, and traded on the National Stock Exchange of India, providing business process outsourcing services.  He also serves on the boards of Catholic Financial Life, SafetyPay, Zipmark, SnowShoe and Catalyze. He also serves on the board of several nonprofits including Alverno College, Schools That Can Milwaukee, Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Consuelo Foundation.

He was chair of the Museum’s Audit Committee and also served on the Acquisitions and Collections Committee.

ABOUT MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

Prominently situated on the shore of Lake Michigan, the Milwaukee Art Museum campus welcomes 400,000 visitors annually. The Museum was founded over 125 years ago and is the largest and most significant art museum in Wisconsin. It houses a rich collection of more than 30,000 works, with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, and American decorative arts. It is the world’s leading repository for work by untrained creators and has one of the largest collections of works by Georgia O’Keeffe. The Museum’s celebrated Santiago Calatrava–designed Quadracci Pavilion, completed in 2001, showcases both Museum-produced and traveling feature exhibitions.

RESTORE. REINSTALL. REIMAGINE.

Beginning in fall 2014, the Museum began an ambitious project to renovate its two oldest buildings, the Eero Saarinen–designed War Memorial Center (1957) and the David Kahler–designed addition (1975), which house the Museum’s Collection Galleries. Increased gallery space, including an entire floor dedicated to photography and new media, an improved gallery layout, and a new lakeside entrance are among the improvements planned. The collections will be off view through fall 2015; however, the Museum is open throughout construction, with a vibrant schedule of exciting exhibitions, educational offerings, and special programs in the Quadracci Pavilion. For more information, visit mam.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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