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Oakland City Administrator and the
Oakland Museum of California
www.museumca.org

10TH & OAK STREETS
OAKLAND, CA  94607

For additional information:
Elizabeth Whipple                                              
510/238-4740, M-F, MEDIA ONLY               

PUBLIC CALLS: 510/238-2200                     
ewhipple@museumca.org                                  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 13, 2006

New Director Named at Oakland Museum of California

Lori Fogarty to Lead Capital Campaign and Renovation

Oakland, CA — The City of Oakland and the Oakland Museum of California announced today that Lori Fogarty has been chosen as the Museum’s new executive director after a nationwide search.

The search committee, led by City Administrator Deborah Edgerly and Museum Foundation board president Lance Gyorfi, conducted a joint search and selection panel and narrowed the list to a small group of finalists last October. The search team worked with the Museum board, advisory councils and staff to determine the kind of leader best suited to the Museum’s vision and future, specifically a renovation scheduled for 2007-2008 and a capital campaign to support the $23.6 million funding from Measure G.

Lori Fogarty, who has been director of the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito since 2001, is expected to start on March 13; she replaces Dennis Power, who left the museum last August. Prior to joining the Discovery Museum, where she oversaw a successful $19.5 million campaign and expansion project, Fogarty served for 12 years at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. During this time she was senior deputy director (1998–2001), deputy director of curatorial affairs (1996–1998) and associate director of development (1988–1996). She also served as acting director in 1997-98.

“ I am very excited to have Lori Fogarty join us. She brings excellent experience in the museum world with her background at the SFMOMA and the Bay Area Discovery Museum, as well as her familiarity with the workings of our community,” said Lance Gyorfi, president of the Oakland Museum of California Foundation board. “She will do an excellent job for the City and the Foundation in creating the new Museum of California.”

“ Lori Fogarty’s vast fundraising expertise and the depth of her knowledge of the Bay Area arts and cultural community make her an excellent fit to direct the Oakland Museum of California into a new era,” said City Administrator Deborah Edgerly.

Fogarty, 43, graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Occidental College in Los Angeles in 1984. In addition to her professional background, she has served on the boards of Enterprise for High School Students and the Children’s Day School in San Francisco. She is currently on the boards of the Association of Children’s Museums and Head-Royce School. Fogarty lives in Oakland with her husband Skip and their two children.

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA), one of the finest regional museums in the country, is the only one devoted entirely to the art, history and nature of California. Founded in 1969, the museum has distinguished itself as a significant community resource and progressive leader in educational and interpretative activities for students and families. In addition to its annual Days of the Dead, Fungus Fair and California Wildflower shows, the museum presents a singular range of exhibitions, from What’s Going On? California and the Vietnam Era (2004) to the current Edward Weston and the upcoming Aftershock! Personal Stories from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. The touring blockbuster, Baseball As America, from the national Baseball Hall of Fame, is expected to draw 50,000 people before it closes on January 22.

For more information on Lori Fogarty or to schedule a media interview with her, please contact Elizabeth Whipple at 510/637-0177 or ewhipple@museumca.org.