SALEM – The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has announced that Kurt T. Steinberg, Ed. D., will serve as the Museum’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) as of January 17, 2023. Steinberg brings considerable experience as a cultural leader and expertise as an executive arts administrator to his new role at PEM.
“Kurt’s commitment to the life-enhancing power of creativity and lifelong learning, as well as his track record of cultivating institutional excellence, make him an exceptional fit for PEM,” said Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, PEM’s Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Executive Director and CEO. “His inclusive, non-profit leadership, combined with his ability to forge strategic relationships from the regional to the global, will help PEM, one of the country’s oldest and largest museums, thrive.”
Working under Hartigan’s guidance and in collaboration with the Museum’s Executive Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, Steinberg will oversee the Museum’s collection services, facilities, financial, marketing and communications, and security operations and serve as a strategic advisor to maximize team performance and create sustainable processes while also ensuring that PEM excels at being effective, impactful, and compelling.
“I am very excited to serve the Peabody Essex Museum community as the next COO. Partnering with Executive Director and CEO Lynda Roscoe Hartigan and the outstanding staff at the PEM in fulfilling the mission of this great and long-lived institution is an amazing opportunity,” said Steinberg.
Steinberg has served as the 8th President of Montserrat College of Art since 2018, a position he assumed after 12 years as Executive Vice President and one year as Acting President at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. An authority in collegiate operations, Steinberg is a noted guest lecturer on an array of topics, from organizational transformation to strategic goal achievement, and has served on and chaired accreditation teams for the New England Commission of Higher Education (N.E.C.H.E.), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (N.A.S.A.D.), National Association of Schools of Music (N.A.S.M.), and the National Association of Schools of Dance (N.A.S.D.). He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Syracuse University and a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University. He earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University.
The Jonathan Corwin House, also known as “The Witch House,” is one of the only surviving structures in Salem directly connected to the witch trials? Listen to our Witch Trials Walk to learn about this iconic Salem home. The audio tour is available with museum admission.
ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
Over the last 20 years, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has distinguished itself as one of the fastest-growing art museums in North America. Founded in 1799, it is also the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. At its heart is a mission to enrich and transform people’s lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes and knowledge of themselves and the wider world. PEM celebrates outstanding artistic and cultural creativity through exhibitions, programming and special events that emphasize cross-cultural connections, integrate past and present and underscore the vital importance of creative expression. The museum’s collection is among the finest of its kind boasting superlative works from around the globe and across time — including American art and architecture, Asian export art, photography, maritime art and history, Native American, Oceanic, Asian, and African art, as well as one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM’s campus offers a varied and unique visitor experience with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. Twenty-two noted historic structures grace PEM’s campus, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese house that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture on display in the United States. HOURS: Open Thursday–Monday, 10 am–5 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. ADMISSION: Adults $20; seniors $18; students $12. Members, youth 16 and under and residents of Salem enjoy free general admission. INFO: Call 866-745-1876 or visit pem.org.
