PAFA selects Kristen Shepherd as new president and CEO, looks to lead institution ‘as a force’ in American art

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The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts has named Kristen Shepherd its new president and CEO, taking the helm of the oldest art museum and school in the U.S. as the nation celebrates the semiquincentennial.

“As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding document, it is an exciting and important time to share the ongoing story of American art,” Shepherd said in a release. “Our founders established PAFA because they believed that cultivating the fine arts was important for our young country, and we carry those ideals forward today.”

Shepherd will take the reins Feb. 9 after serving as the executive director and CEO of the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. With more than 25 years of experience in the arts leadership sector, she said she was excited to lead the institution into “its next chapter as a force in the world of American art.”

“PAFA’s collection is superlative, and it demonstrates that American art is an ever-evolving story,” Shepherd said. “The fact that the institution has been collecting contemporary art since its inception in 1805 and was the nation’s very first fine arts school is a remarkable legacy and mandate. PAFA has always been at the forefront of nurturing, teaching, and collecting important work for every generation of American artists.”

In a release, PAFA Board of Trustees chair Donald Caldwell said Shepherd has “established herself as a leader and change maker in the museum sector.”

“We set out to find a dynamic leader with the vision and expertise to build on our venerable history and fortify PAFA’s position as the preeminent voice in American art,” Caldwell said.

Shepherd also previously held leadership roles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art and Sotheby’s in New York and London. She’s also provided consulting work for museums across the country, including the Honolulu Museum of Art, the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights History and Reconciliation Foundation.

The announcement of Shepherd’s appointment comes a little more than two years since PAFA decided to cut its degree programs, citing declining enrollment and increasing costs for the decision. Students graduating in spring 2025 were the final class of PAFA alumni.

PAFA has reopened its Historic Landmark Building for multiple exhibitions this year including “Threaded Currents” through April 12, the “Bodies and Souls: Kohler Collection” from March 14 to July 12, and “A Nation of Artists” from April 12, 2026, to Sept. 5, 2027.