Tacoma Art Museum announced that Executive Director Stephanie Stebich will be leaving to take on a new role as the Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum located in Washington, D.C., effective April 3, 2017. Stebich has been with TAM for almost 12 years.
Under Stebich’s leadership, TAM has become a national leader for regional museums and is recognized as a leading institution focused on Northwest art and artists. During her tenure, TAM’s collection has grown immensely. The museum’s focus on exhibitions and programs dedicated to the art and artists of the Northwest has helped to garner six key collections and expand the museum’s square footage with an expansion in 2014 and another scheduled for 2018.
Notable collections added during Stebich’s tenure include the Anne Gould Hauberg collection; Erivan and Helga Haub’s gift of the Haub Family Collection of Western American Art; the gift/purchase of the Paul Marioni Collection; the promised gift of the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection; the promised gift of Vasiliki and William Dwyer Collection; and the bequest of jewelry by designer Mia McEldowney. With these collections and transformative gifts, TAM has become a premier destination for western American art and American studio art glass.
In July, 2017, the groundbreaking of the new Benaroya wing will further expand TAM’s exhibition space by 25 percent. With the Benaroya collection – in conjunction with TAM’s current collection of studio art glass – TAM will hold one of the top five museum studio art glass collections in the nation.
– Tacoma Art Museum
Scarton to head Washington State Ferries
Roger Millar, secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation announced the appointment of Amy Scarton as assistant secretary for the Washington State Ferries Division.
Scarton previously served as the WSDOT assistant secretary for Community and Economic Development. She is replacing Lynne Griffith, who is retiring on Jan., 31.
Scarton has worked in the transportation industry both in Washington State and Washington D.C., including senior roles in both the Obama and Bush administrations at U.S. Department of Transportation; legal counsel to former Chairman James Oberstar of the U.S. House of Representatives Highway and Transit Subcommittee; and managing the WSDOT offices that support the agencies’ rail, freight, aviation, local programs, planning, and public transportation activities.
Buonanno Grennan named Director of Human Resources for Kitsap County
The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners announced the appointment of Nancy Buonanno Grennan as Director of Human Resources, beginning Jan. 17.
Buonanno Grennan comes to Kitsap County from King County where she served as the Human Resources Director and interim Deputy Director of Metro Transit.
Andrea Smith named Metro Parks board president
The five-member Metro Parks Board of Commissioners chose Andrea Smith to serve as president for the coming year at its last meeting.
Smith, a lifelong Tacoma resident who works in the business banking sector, is beginning the sixth and final year of her current term as commissioner. As president, she succeeds Commissioner Erik Hanberg, a small business owner and author who led the Board in 2016.
Douglas new Deputy Director at Emergency Food Network
Emergency Food Network named Michelle Douglas Deputy Director. Douglas brings sixteen years of leadership experience with her to the position. She most recently served as Executive Director at the Rainbow Center in Tacoma and also served as Operations Manager at the Center for Dialogue and Resolution.
Stephanie Stebich, Executive Director, Tacoma Art Museum
