I’m delighted to announce that Jessica Bright has accepted the position of Chief, Exhibitions, Collections & Conservation, effective August 3, 2021. Jessica is an inspired and strategic leader whose 22 years of experience at the AGO position her well for this role.

Jessica has had an impressive trajectory at the AGO, and stepped into the Chief of Exhibitions and Collections role in 2018/2019 on an interim basis when Christy Thompson was on parental leave. Most recently she has contributed significantly to several important portfolios in her Leadership Team role of Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives. Working closely with LT and all of us in the Director’s Office, she has advanced our Diversity & Inclusion and Exhibition & Program strategies, and successfully onboarded several new AGO leaders. Jessica has also played an integral role on all the task forces we struck to manage the pandemic.

Joining the AGO in 1999 to run our summer Art Camp, Jessica has held various roles in the Director’s Office, Curatorial and Exhibitions, including as a Project Manager and Director of Exhibitions. Her negotiation skills, keen sense of strategic possibilities, excellent logistical management and friendly approach have resulted in some big wins for the AGO including David Bowie Is, Mystical Landscapes, King Tut and General Idea to name a few. In 2018 Jessica attended the Getty Leadership Institute, an esteemed leadership program for top museum leaders. One of her greatest strengths is building relationships and networks with museum leaders and lenders around the world, which will serve her well as she advances our operational driver of leading global conversations through extraordinary collections, exhibitions and programs.

Christy Thompson leaves the AGO for her new role at MoMA in September, but she will be taking time off in August so her last day in the office will be July 30. I want to once again thank Christy for all of her excellent work – she will be missed.

Please join me in congratulating Jessica on this well-deserved appointment, and wishing her well in her new role.

Sincerely,

Stephan